CHARACTER  PORTRAITS  OF  WASHINGTON. 


EDITION    LIMITED   TO 
THREE    HUNDRED    AND    FIFTY   COPIES. 


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^CHARACTER 


PORTRAITS  OF  WASHINGTON 


AS   DELINEATED   BY 

HISTORIANS  ORATORS  AND  DIVINES 

SELECTED 

AND  ARRANGED  IN  CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER  WITH 
BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  AND  REFERENCES 


W.   S.    BAKER 
i  i 

Author  of  the  "  Engraved  Portraits  of  Washington, 
"  Medallic  Portraits  of  Washington,"  &c.,  &c. 


PHILADELPHIA 

ROBERT   M.    LINDSAY 
1887 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1887,  by 

WILLIAM  SPOHN  BAKER, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


PRESS  OF  GLOBE  PRINTING  HOUSE. 


PREFACE. 


IT  is  the  purpose  of  these  pages  to  exhibit  the  character  of  Wash 
ington  as  understood  and  portrayed  by  some  of  the  best  writers  and 
thinkers;  as  well  by  contemporaries,  whose  personal  knowledge  and 
convictions  lend  additional  value,  as  by  those  of  a  later  day,  whose 
careful  study  and  critical  analysis  render  their  testimony  of  equal 
weight  and  importance.  These  tributes,  scattered  throughout  many 
publications,  have  been  brought  together,  so  that  all  may  become 
familiar  with  the  details  of  a  character,  which,  in  its  gradual  develop 
ment,  reached  the  highest  degree  of  excellence  humanity  can  attain. 

The  character  of  Washington  is  a  national  possession.  To  its 
courage  and  perseverance  we  owe  the  successful  issue  of  our  war  for 
independence;  to  its  integrity  and  judgment,  the  permanence  of  our 
constitutional  experiment;  and,  to  its  firmness  and  patriotism,  our 
position  as  a  nation.  All  Americans  should  study  and  venerate  it. 
At  all  times  and  places,  in  peace  and  in  war,  in  tumult  and  in  quiet, 
its  contemplation  will  be  a  benefit,  its  example  an  influence,  and  its 
imitation  an  assistance.  "God  be  praised,  that  character  is  ours 
forever!" 

W.  S.  BAKER. 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  ist,  1886. 


225754 


CONTENTS. 


The  frontispiece  is  a  reproduction  of  the  rare  allegorical  print  published  with  the  funeral 
oration  by  Henry  Lee.     Quarto.     Philadelphia:   1800. 


Preface 5 

James  Thacher 9 

John  Bell 1 1 

Claude  C.  Robin 15 

Prince  de  Broglie 18 

Joseph  Mandrillon 22 

Marquis  de  Chastellux 26 

Jedidiah  Morse 30,  76 

William  P.  Carey 35 

Brissot  de  Warville 39 

Charles  James  Fox 44 

Henry  Wansey 47 

Isaac  Weld 50 

John  Marshall 54,  1 42 

Senate  of  the  United  States     ....  57 

John  Adams 59 

Henry  Lee 62 

Gouverneur  Morris 73 

Samuel  Stanhope  Smith 80 

London  Courier 85 

Fisher  Ames 89 

British  Register 94 

Louis  Fontanes 96 

Annual  Register 99 


David  Tappan 102 

Ebenezer  Grant  Marsh 106 

Timothy  Dwight no 

William  Linn 116 

Mason  L.  Weems 120 

J.  M.  Williams 123 

Mallet  du  Pan 127 

John  Corry 131 

Anonymous 135,  138 

Aaron  Bancroft 149 

David  Ramsay 155 

John  Jay 162 

Charles  Phillips 166 

Thomas  Jefferson 168 

Francois  Marbois 171 

Elkanah  Watson 174 

Count  de  Segur 177 

Chateaubriand 182 

William  Sullivan 1 86 

James  K.  Paulding 188 

Cyrus  R.  Edmonds 191 

James  Grahame 195 

Edward  C.  M'Guire 198 

Jared  Sparks 2OT 

(7) 


CONTENTS. 


Lord  Brougham 206 

Count  Dumas 211 

John  Quincy  Adams 216 

George  Combe 219 

Guizot 222 

William  Smyth 229 

Charles  W.  Upham 233 

Archibald  Alison 240 

Daniel  Webster 242 

Von  Raumer 245 

William  B.  Sprague 247 

Rufus  W.  Griswold .  250 

Joel  T.  Headley 258 

Robert  C.  Winthrop 264,  331 

Richard  Hildreth 268 

John  J.  Crittenden 270 

Caroline  M.  Kirkland 272 


George  W.  Bethune 274 

Gentleman's  Magazine 277 

George  Tucker 280 

Theodore  Parker 282 

George  Bancroft 285 

Henry  T.  Tuckerman 291 

Washington  Irving 296 

William  M.  Thackeray 299 

Edward  Everett 301 

George  W.  P.  Custis 309 

London  Athenaeum 311 

Samuel  M.  Smucker 314 

Henry  Armitt  Brown 318 

John  Richard  Green 320 

William  E.  H.  Lecky 322 

George  William  Curtis 327 

Index 345 


JAMES   THACHER. 

1778. 

THE  personal  appearance  of  our  Commander  in  Chief,  is  that  of  the 
perfect  gentleman  and  accomplished  warrior.  He  is  remarkably  tall, 
full  six  feet,  erect  and  well  proportioned.  The  strength  and  proportion 
of  his  joints  and  muscles,  appear  to  be  commensurate  with  the  pre- 
. eminent  powers  of  his  mind.  The  serenity  of  his  countenance,  and 
majestic  gracefulness  of  his  deportment,  impart  a  strong  impression  of 
that  dignity  and  grandeur,  which  are  his  peculiar  characteristics,  and 
no  one  can  stand  in  his  presence  without  feeling  the  ascendancy  of  his 
mind,  and  associating  with  his  countenance  the  idea  of  wisdom,  phi- 
lanthrophy,  magnanimity,  and  patriotism.  There  is  a  fine  symmetry 
in  the  features  of  his  face,  indicative  of  a  benign  and  dignified  spirit. 
His  nose  is  straight,  and  his  eyes  inclined  to  blue.  He  wears  his  hair 
in  a  becoming  cue,  and  'from  his  forehead  it  is  turned  back  and  pow 
dered  in  a  manner  which  adds  to  the  military  air  of  his  appearance. 
He  displays  a  native  gravity,  but  devoid  of  all  appearance  of  ostenta 
tion.  His  uniform  dress  is  a  blue  coat,  with  two  brilliant  epaulettes, 
buff  coloured  under  clothes,  and  a  three  cornered  hat,  with  a  black 
cockade.  He  is  constantly  equipped  with  an  elegant  small  sword, 
boots,  and  spurs,  in  readiness  to  mount  his  noble  charger.  There  is 
not  in  the  present  age,  perhaps,  another  man  so  eminently  qualified 
to  discharge  the  arduous  duties  of  the  exalted  station  he  is  called  to 

(9) 


io  JAMES  THACHER. 


sustain,  amidst  difficulties  which  to  others  would  appear  insurmount 
able,  nor  could  any  man  have  more  at  command  the  veneration  and 
regard  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  our  army,  even  after  defeat  and 
misfortune.  This  is  the  illustrious  chief,  whom  a  kind  Providence  has 
decreed  as  the  instrument  to  conduct  our  country  to  peace  and  to  in 
dependence. 

His  Excellency,  made  a  visit  to  our  hospital;  his  arrival  was 
scarcely,  announced,  before  he  presented  himself  at  our  doors.  Dr. 
Williams  and  myself  had  the  honor  to  wait  on  this  great  and  truly 
good  man,  through  the  different  wards,  and  to  reply  to  his  inquiries 
relative  to  the  condition  of  our  patients.  He  appeared  to  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  situation  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and  inquired 
particularly  as  to  their  treatment  and  comfortable  accommodations. 


JAMES  THACHER,  M.D.,  was  born  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  February  I4th,  1754,  and  died  at 
Plymouth,  May  24th,  1844.  He  joined  the  Revolutionary  army  at  Cambridge  in  June,  1775, 
as  surgeon's  mate  under  Dr.  John  Warren,  was  promoted  to  surgeon  and  served  through  the 
war,  being  present  at  many  of  the  principal  battles.  Dr.  Thacher  kept  a  diary  of  the  war, 
which  was  published  at  Boston  in  1823,  with  the  title:  "A  Military  Journal  during  the 
American  Revolutionary  War,  from  1775  to  1783,"  8vo.,  a  work  of  considerable  historical 
value.  The  extract  above  given,  is  his  entry  on  the  occasion  of  Washington's  visit  to  the 
military  hospital  at  Robinson's  house,  near  West  Point,  in  October,  1778,  and  as  a  description 
of  his  personal  appearance,  very  properly  serves  as  an  introduction  to  the  "  Character  Portraits 
of  Washington." 


JOHN   BELL. 

1779. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  having  never  been  in  Europe,  could  not 
possibly  have  seen  much  military  service  when  the  armies  of  Britain 

« 

were  sent  to  subdue  us ;  yet  still,  for  a  variety  of  reasons,  he  was  by 
much  the  most  proper  man  on  this  continent,  and  probably  any  where 
else,  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  an  American  army.  The  very  high 
estimation  he  stood  in  for  integrity  and  honour,  his  engaging  in  the 
cause  of  his  country  from  sentiment  and  a  conviction  of  her  wrongs, 
his  moderation  in  politics,  his  extensive  property,  and  his  approved 
abilities  as  a  commander,  were  motives  which  necessarily  obliged  the 
choice  of  America  to  fall  upon  him.  That  nature  has  given  him 
extraordinary  military  talents  will  hardly  be  controverted  by  his  most 
bitter  enemies ;  and  having  been  early  actuated  with  a  warm  passion 
to  serve  his  country  in  the  military  line,  he  has  greatly  improved  them 
by  unwearied  industry,  and  a  close  application  to  the  best  writers  upon 
tactics,  and  by  a  more  than  common  method  and  exactness:  and,  in 
reality,  when  it  comes  to  be  considered  that  at  first  he  only  headed  a 
body  of  men  intirely  unacquainted  with  military  discipline  or  opera 
tions,  somewhat  ungovernable  in  temper,  and  who  at  best  could  only 
be  stiled  an  alert  and  good  militia,  acting  under  very  short  enlistments, 
uncloathed,  unaccoutred,  and  at  all  times  very  ill  supplied  with  ammu 
nition  and  artillery;  and  that  with  such  an  army  he  withstood  the  ra- 


12  JOHN  BELL. 

vages  and  progress  of  near  forty  thousand  veteran  troops,  plentifully 
provided  with  every  necessary  article,  commanded  by  the  bravest  offi 
cers  in  Europe,  and  supported  by  a  very  powerful  navy,  which  effect 
ually  prevented  all  movements  by  water;  when,  I  say,  all  this  comes 
to  be  impartially  considered,  I  think  I  may  venture  to  pronounce,  that 
general  Washington  will  be  regarded  by  mankind  as  one  of  the  greatest 
military  ornaments  of  the  present  age,  and  that  his  name  will  command 
the  veneration  of  the  latest  posterity. 

I  would  not  mention  to  you  the  person  of  this  excellent  man, 
were  I  not  convinced  that  it  bears  great  analogy  to  the  qualifications 
of  his  mind.  General  Washington  is  now  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of 
his  age;  he  is  a  tall  well-made  man,  rather  large  boned,  and  has  a 
tolerably  genteel  address :  his  features  are  manly  and  bold,  his  eyes  of 

a  bluish  cast  and  very  lively ;  his  hair  a  deep  brown,  his  face  rather 

i 

long  and  marked  with  the  small  pox;  his  complexion  sun-burnt  and 
without  much  colour,  and  his  countenance  sensible,  composed,  and 
thoughtful ;  there  is  a  remarkable  air  of  dignity  about  him,  with  a 
striking  degree  of  gracefulness:  he  has  an  excellent  understanding 
without  much  quickness;  is  strictly  just,  vigilant,  and  generous;  an 
affectionate  husband,  a  faithful  friend,  a  father  to  the  deserving  soldier; 
gentle  in  his  manners,  in  temper  rather  reserved ;  a  total  stranger  to 
religious  prejudices,  which  have  so  often  excited  Christians  of  one  de 
nomination  to  cut  the  throats  of  those  of  another;  in  his  morals  irre 
proachable  ;  he  was  never  known  to  exceed  the  bounds  of  the  most 
rigid  temperance :  in  a  word,  all  his  friends  and  acquaintance  univer 
sally  allow,  that  no  man  ever  united  in  his  own  person  a  more  perfect 
alliance  of  the  virtues  of  a  philosopher  with  the  talents  of  a  general. 


JOHN  BELL.  13 

Candour,  sincerity,  affability,  and  simplicity,  seem  to  be  the  striking 
features  of  his  character,  till  an  occasion  offers  of  displaying  the  most 
determined  bravery  and  independence  of  spirit. 

Such,  my  good  friend,  is  the  man,  to  whom  America  has  in 
trusted  her  important  cause.  Hitherto  she  has  had  every  reason  to 
be  satisfied  with  her  choice;  and  most  ungrateful  would  she  be  to  the 
great  Disposer  of  human  events,  were  she  not  to  render  him  unremit 
ting  thanks  for  having  provided  her  with  such  a  citizen  at  such  a  crisis. 
Most  nations  have  been  favoured  with  some  patriotic  deliverer:  the 
Israelites  had  their  Moses  ;  Rome  had  her  Camillus ;  Greece  her  Leo- 
nidas;  Sweden  her  Gustavus;  and  England  her  Hambdens,  her  Rus- 
sels,  and  her  Sydneys :  but  these  illustrious  heroes,  though  successful 
in  preserving  and  defending,  did  not,  like  Washington,  form  or  estab 
lish  empires,  which  will  be  the  refuge  or  asylum  of  Liberty  banished 
from  Europe  by  luxury  and  corruption.  Must  not,  therefore,  your 
heart  beat  with  conscious  pride  at  the  prospect  of  your  friend's  being 
ranked  among  (if  not  above)  those  illustrious  patriots?  at  the  enchant 
ing  thought,  that  He,  whom  you  know  and  love,  shall  be  acknowl 
edged  by  present  and  future  generations  as  their  great  deliverer,  and 
the  chief  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty  for  laying  the  foun 
dation  of  that  freedom  and  happiness,  which,  I  trust,  await  the  future 
myriads  of  this  vast  continent? 


THE  "  Sketch  of  General  Washington's  Life  and  Character,"  from  which  we  make  the 
foregoing  extract,  is  contained  in  a  letter  from  "a  gentleman  of  Maryland,"  to  a  friend  in 
Europe,  dated  May  3,  1779,  and  published  in  London  the  following  year,  annexed  to  "A 
poetical  epistle  to  his  Excellency  George  Washington,  Esq.,  Commander  in  Chief  of  the 
Armies  of  the  United  States  of  America,  from  an  inhabitant  of  the  State  of  Maryland."  The 


14  JOHN  BELL. 

author  of  the  Epistle,  was  Charles  Henry  Wharton,  D.D.,  at  the  time  a  resident  of  Worcester, 
England,  and  the  publication,  was  "for  the  charitable  purpose  of  raising  a  few  guineas  to  re 
lieve,  in  a  small  measure,  the  distresses  of  some  hundreds  of  American  prisoners,  now  suffer 
ing  confinement  in  the  gaols  of  England."  The  sketch  which  is  probably  the  first  attempt  at 
a  Biography  of  Washington,  made  in  America,  was  also  printed  in  the  London  Chronicle,  July 
22,  1780,  and  a  portion  of  it  in  the  Westminster  Magazine,  for  the  following  month.  In  this 
country  it  was  reprinted  in  the  Massachusetts  Magazine,  March  1791,  where  the  name  of  the 
author,  JOHN  BELL,  ESQ.,  of  Maryland,  first  appears,  of  whom,  however,  we  have  no  informa 
tion  other  than  the  statement  in  the  preface  to  the  Epistle  to  Washington,  that  he  was  "con 
nected  and  intimate  in  the  family  of  that  great  man." 


CLAUDE  C.  ROBIN. 

1781. 

I  HAVE  seen  General  Washington,  that  most  singular  man — the 
soul  and  support  of  one  of  the  greatest  revolutions  that  has  ever  hap 
pened,  or  can  happen.  I  fixed  my  eyes  upon  him  with  that  keen  at 
tention  which  the  sight  of  a  great  man  always  inspires.  We  naturally 
entertain  a  secret  hope  of  discovering  in  the  features  of  such  illustri 
ous  persons  some  traces  of  that  excellent  genius  which  distinguishes 
them  from,  and  elevates  them  above  their  fellow  mortals. 

Perhaps  the  exterior  of  no  man  was  better  calculated  to  gratify 
these  expectations  than  that  of  General  Washington.  He  is  of  a  tall 
and  noble  stature,  well  proportioned,  a  fine,  cheerful,  open  countenance, 
a  simple  and  modest  carriage;  and  his  whole  mien  has  something  in 
it  that  interests  the  French,  the  Americans,  and  even  enemies  them 
selves  in  his  favor.  Placed  in  a  military  view,  at  the  head  of  a  nation 
where  each  individual  has  a  share  in  the  supreme  legislative  authority, 
and  where  coercive  laws  are  yet  in  a  great  degree  destitute  of  vigor, 
where  the  climate  and  manners  can  add  but  little  to  their  energy, 
where  the  spirit  of  party,  private  interest,  slowness  and  national  indo 
lence,  slacken,  suspend  and  overthrow  the  best  concerted  measures; 
although  so  situated,  he  has  found  out  a  method  of  keeping  his  troops 
in  the  most  absolute  subordination;  making  them  rivals  in  praising 
him ;  fearing  him  even  when  he  is  silent,  and  retaining  their  full  confi- 

(15) 


1 6  CLAUDE  C.  ROBIN. 

dence  in  him  after  defeats  and  disgrace.  His  reputation  has,  at  length, 
arisen  to  a  most  brilliant  height;  and  he  may  now  grasp  at  the  most 
unbounded  power,  without  provoking  envy  or  exciting  suspicion.  He 
has  ever  shown  himself  superior  to  fortune,  and  in  the  most  trying 
adversity  has  discovered  resources  till  then  unknown;  and,  as  if  his 
abilities  only  increased  and  dilated  at  the  prospect  of  difficulty,  he  is 
never  better  supplied  than  when  he  seems  destitute  of  every  thing,  nor 
have  his  arms  ever  been  so  fatal  to  his  enemies,  as  at  the  very  instant 
when  they  had  thought  they  had  crushed  him  for  ever.  It  is  his  to 
excite  a  spirit  of  heroism  and  enthusiasm  in  a  people,  who  are  by 
nature  very  little  susceptible  of  it;  to  gain  over  the  respect  and  homage 
of  those  whose  interest  it  is  to  refuse  it,  and  to  execute  his  plans  and 
projects  by  means  unknown  even  to  those  who  are  his  instruments;  he 
is  intrepid  in  dangers,  yet  never  seeks  them  but  when  the  good  of  his 
country  demands  it,  preferring  rather  to  temporize  and  act  upon  the 
defensive,  because  he  knows  such  a  mode  of  conduct  best  suits  the 
genius  and  circumstances  of  the  nation,  and  that  all  he  and  they  have 
to  expect,  depends  upon  time,  fortitude,  and  patience:  he  is  frugal  and 
sober  in  regard  to  himself,  but  profuse  in  the  public  cause;  like  Peter 
the  Great,  he  has  by  defeats  conducted  his  army  to  victory;  and  like 
Fabius,  but  with  fewer  resources  and  more  difficulty,  he  has  conquered 
without  fighting,  and  saved  his  country. 

Such  are  the  ideas  that  arise  in  the  mind,  at  the  sight  of  this 
great  man,  in  examining  the  events  in  which  he  had  a  share,  or  in 
listening  to  those  whose  duty  obliges  them  to  be  near  his  person,  and 
consequently  best  display  his  character.  In  all  these  extensive  states 
they  consider  him  in  the  light  of  a  beneficent  God,  dispensing  peace 


CLAUDE  C.  ROBIN.  17 


and  happiness  around  him.  Old  men,  women,  and  children,  press 
about  him  when  he  accidentally  passes  along,  and  think  themselves 
happy,  once  in  their  lives,  to  have  seen  him — they  follow  him  through 
the  towns  with  torches,  and  celebrate  his  arrival  by  public  illumina 
tions.  The  Americans,  that  cool  and  sedate  people,  who  in  the  midst 
of  their  most  trying  difficulties,  have  attended  only  to  the  directions 
and  impulses  of  plain  method  and  common  sense,  are  roused,  animated, 
and  inflamed  at  the  very  mention  of  his  name :  and  the  first  songs  that 
sentiment  or  gratitude  has  dictated,  have  been  to  celebrate  General 
Washington. 


ABBE  ROBIN,  one  of  the  chaplains  to  the  French  army  in  America,  wrote  while  in  this 
country,  a  series  of  thirteen  letters,  which  were  published  at  Paris,  in  1782,  and  afterwards 
translated  and  published  at  Philadelphia,  in  1783,  with  the  title  "  New  Travels  through  North 
America,  in  a  series  of  letters  exhibiting  the  history  of  the  victorious  campaign  of  the  allied 
armies  under  his  Excellency  Gen.  Washington,  and  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  in  the  year 
1781."  8vo.  The  Abbe  arrived  at  Boston  in  June  (1781),  and  joined  the  French  troops  at 
Providence,  the  two  armies  uniting  at  Philipsburg  (near  Dobbs'  Ferry  N.  Y.)  the  following 
month.  The  letter  from  which  our  extract  is  made,  is  dated  "  Camp  at  Philipsburg,  August 
4,  1781."  The  letters,  covering  as  they  do  one  of  the  most  important  military  movements  of 
the  war,  the  march  to  Yorktown,  and  the  siege  and  final  surrender  of  the  British  army,  make 
the  volume  a  valuable  contemporary  record,  while  apart  from  our  quotation,  the  remarks  of 
the  writer  upon  the  genius,  temper,  and  customs  of  the  people,  are  extremely  interesting. 


PRINCE  DE  BROGUE. 

1782. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  is  now  about  forty-nine  years  of  age.  He 
is  tall,  nobly  built  and  very  well  proportioned.  His  face  is  much  more 
agreeable  than  represented  in  his  portrait.  He  must  have  been  much 
handsomer  three  years  ago,  and  although  the  gentlemen  who  have  re 
mained  with  him  during  all  that  time  say  that  he  seems  to  have  grown 
much  older,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  General  is  still  as  fresh  and 
active  as  a  young  man. 

His  physiognomy  is  mild  and  open.  His  accost  is  cold  although 
polite.  His  pensive  eyes  seem  more  attentive  than  sparkling;  but 
their  expression  is  benevolent,  noble,  and  self-possessed.  In  his  pri 
vate  conduct,  he  preserves  that  polite  and  attentive  good  breeding 
which  satisfies  everybody,  and  that  dignified  reserve  which  offends  no 
one.  He  is  a  foe  to  ostentation  and  to  vain-glory.  His  temper  is 
always  even.  He  has  never  testified  the  least  humor.  Modest  even 
to  humility,  he  does  not  seem  to  estimate  himself  at  his  true  worth. 
He  receives  with  perfect  grace  all  the  homages  which  are  paid  him, 
but  he  evades  them  rather  than  seeks  them.  His  company  is  agreea 
ble  and  winning.  Always  serious,  never  abstracted,  always  simple, 
always  easy  and  affable  without  being  familiar,  the  respect  which  he 
inspires  is  never  oppressive.  He  speaks  but  little  in  general,  and 
that  in  a  subdued  tone,  but  he  is  so  attentive  to  what  is  said  to  him, 
(18) 


PRINCE  DE  BROGUE.  19 


that  being  satisfied  he  understands  you  perfectly,  one  is  disposed  to 
dispense  with  an  answer.  This  behaviour  has  been  very  useful  to  him 
on  numerous  occasions.  Nobody  has  greater  necessity  than  he  to  act 
with  circumspection,  and  to  carefully  weigh  his  words. 

To  an  unalterable  tranquility  of  soul  he  joins  a  most  exact  judg 
ment,  and  the  utmost  with  which  he  has  been  reproached  is  a  little 
tardiness  in  his  determination  and  even  in  the  execution  of  his  deci 
sions,  when  once  he  has  made  them. 

His  courage  is  calm  and  brilliant,  but  to  appreciate  in  a  satis 
factory  manner  the  real  extent  of  his  talents  and  his  ability  as  a  great 
and  warlike  captain,  I  think  one  should  have  seen  him  at  the  head 
of  a  greater  army,  with  greater  means  than  he  has  had,  and  opposed 
to  an  enemy  less  his  superior. 

At  least  one  cannot  fail  to  give  him  the  title  of  an  excellent 
patriot,  of  a  wise  and  virtuous  man,  and  one  is  in  fact  tempted  to 
ascribe  to  him  all  good  qualities,  even  those  that  circumstances  have 
not  yet  permitted  him  to  develop. 

Mr.  Washington's  first  military  services  were  against  the  French 
in  the  War  for  Canada.  He  had  no  opportunity  for  distinguishing 
himself,  and  after  the  defeat  of  Braddock,  the  war  having  crossed  the 
river  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  Virginia  militia  of  which  he  was  Colonel 
having  been  sent  home,  he  was  not  kept  in  active  service;  whereupon 
he  retired  to  his  plantation  where  he  lived  like  a  philosopher. 

His  estate  was  quite  distant  from  the  seat  of  the  English  govern 
ment,  the  real  hot-bed  of  the  insurrection;  and  his  wise  character 
witheld  him  still  further  from  mixing  in  its  movements,  so  that  he  had 
but  little  share  in  the  first  troubles. 


20  PRINCE  DE  BROGLIE. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  with  the  mother-country,  every 
body  wished  a  chief  who  joined  a  profound  sagacity  to  the  advantage 
of  having  had  military  experience.  All  eyes  turned  toward  Washing 
ton,  and  he  was  unanimously  called  to  the  command  of  the  army. 
The  course  of  events  justified  the  choice.  Never  was  there  a  man 
better  fitted  to  command  the  Americans,  and  his  conduct  throughout 
developed  the  greatest  foresight,  steadiness  and  wisdom. 

Mr.  Washington  received  no  pay  as  General ;  refused  it  as  not 
needing  it.  The  expenses  of  his  table  only  are  paid  by  the  State. 
Every  day  he  has  about  thirty  persons  to  dinner.  He  gives  good 
military  fare,  and  is  very  civil  towards  all  the  officers  admitted  to  his 
table.  It  is  ordinarily  the  moment  of  the  day  when  he  is  most  cheer 
ful. 

At  desert  he  eats  an  enormous  quantity  of  nuts,  and  when  the 
conversation  is  entertaining  he  keeps  eating  through  a  couple  of  hours, 
from  time  to  time  giving  sundry  healths,  according  to  the  English  and 
American  custom.  It  is  what  they  call  "toasting."  They  always  be 
gin  by  drinking  to  the  United  States  of  America;  after  that  to  the 
king  of  France,  then  to  the  Queen  of  France,  then  to  the  success  of 
the  allied  armies,  after  which,  what  they  call  a  sentiment  is  sometimes 
given;  for  example,  to  our  success  over  our  enemies  and  with  the 
beauties — to  our  triumphs  in  war  and  in  love. 

I  toasted  very  often  with  the  General,  and  amongst  others  on  one 
occasion  I  proposed  to  drink  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  whom  he 
regards  as  his  own  child.  He  accepted  with  a  benevolent  smile,  and 
had  the  politeness  to  respond  by  proposing  the  health  of  my  father 
and  my  wife. 


PRINCE  DE  BROGUE.  21 


General  Washington  appeared  to  me  to  maintain  a  perfect  de 
meanor  towards  the  officers  of  his  army.  He  treats  them  with  great 
politeness,  but  they  are  far  from  attempting  any  familiarity  with  him. 
All  of  them,  on  the  contrary,  exhibit  towards  their  General  an  air  of 
respect,  of  confidence  and  of  admiration. 


CLAUDE  VICTOR,  PRINCE  DE  BROGLIK,  was  born  at  Paris  in  1757,  and  entered  the  army 
at  the  age  of  fourteen.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  became  a  colonel,  and  was  ordered  to 
America  to  take  command  of  the  regiment  Saintonge,  which  had  distinguished  itself  in  the 
siege  of  Yorktown.  He  sailed  July  15,  1782,  with  Count  de  Segur,  on  board  the  frigate  La 
Gloire,  and  after  an  eventful  voyage,  landed  on  the  1 3th  of  September,  near  Dover,  Delaware, 
having  been  intercepted  in  the  Bay  by  an  English  squadron.  After  spending  a  few  days  in 
Philadelphia,  the  Prince  hastened  to  join  his  regiment  then  in  camp  at  Crampond,  nine  miles 
from  Peekskill  on  the  Hudson,  and  two  days  after  his  arrival  was  presented  to  Washington 
and  dined  with  him  at  his  Headquarters  at  Verplanck's  Point.  He  returned  to  France  with 
his  regiment,  sailing  from  Boston,  December  24th,  of  the  same  year.  The  Prince  espoused 
the  popular  cause  in  the  revolution  and  accepted  a  command  in  the  army  of  the  Rhine,  but 
resigned  after  Aug.  10,  1792.  He  was  arrested  Dec.  28,  1793,  and  after  a  trial  before  the 
revolutionary  tribunal,  condemned  and  guillotined  June  27,  1794.  The  Prince  kept  a  journal 
of  his  visit  to  the  United  States,  from  a  translation  of  which,  published  in  Vol.  I,  pp.  180,  etc. 
of  the  Magazine  of  American  History  (1877),  our  extract  is  made.  The  translation  was 
made  from  the  original  MS.  in  possession  of  his  grandson,  the  present  Due  de  Broglie,  by 
Elise  W.  Balch,  daughter  of  Thomas  Balch,  deceased  (1877),  author  of  "  Les  Francais  en 
Am6rique  pendant  La  Guerre  De  L'Independance  Des  Etats-Unis,  1777-1783."  Paris,  1872. 


JOSEPH  MANDRILLON. 

1784. 

WHY  did  I  not  receive  from  nature  the  genius  and  eloquence  of 
the  celebrated  orators  of  Greece  and  Rome!  Why  can  I  not  for  a 
moment  snatch  their  pencils  to  trace  rapidly  the  portrait  of  the  greatest 
man  that  America  has  ever  produced,  and  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
that  ever  existed!  With  what  energy,  with  what  enthusiasm  would  I 
not  speak  of  his  brilliant  virtues!  Who  is  the  man  that  would  be 
jealous  of  the  homage  I  pay  him?  Who  is  the  man  that  would  tax 
me  with  flattery? 

We  are  no  longer  in  those  barbarous  ages  in  which  men  offered 
incense  to  tyrants,  in  which  they  dared  to  give  the  name  of  hero  to 
men  addicted  to  every  vice,  and  whom  they  dreaded  too  much  to 
offend.  We  are  no  longer  in  those  ages  when  cruel  sovereigns  had 
writers  in  their  pay  to  palliate  their  crimes,  and  to  magnify  their  sup 
posed  virtues.  Our  more  enlightened  age  presents  to  us  in  history 
sovereigns  and  men,  such  as  they  have  been;  truth  is  its  character. 
The  public  veneration  for  General  Washington  is  the  precious  fruit  of 
the  most  severe  examination  of  his  conduct.  Jealous  of  his  glory  and 
the  good  opinion  of  his  contemporaries,  he  enjoys  them  without 
arrogance  and  without  presumption;  and  if  he  does  himself  the  justice 
to  believe  that  he  merits  his  celebrity,  he  knows  also  that  posterity, 
which  raises  and  demolishes  statues,  will  never  sully  the  trophies 

(22) 


JOSEPH  MANDRILLON.  23 


erected  to  him.  Nothing  but  the  hand  of  an  illiterate  barbarian,  or  of 
a  savage  ignorant  of  history,  with  the  stroke  of  a  hatchet  would  break 
his  statue,  supposing  it  to  be  that  of  a  despot.  But  when  from  among 
the  debris  of  the  inscription,  one  could  put  together  nothing  but  the 
name  of  Washington,  the  chief  of  this  barbarian  or  of  this  savage, 
whose  knowledge  of  the  American  revolution  comes  from  tradition, 
would  take  vengeance  on  him  for  this  attempt,  causing  the  monument 
to  be  again  put  in  place,  on  its  base  will  be  read :  ignorance  had  over 
thrown  it,  and  justice  again  raised  it  up:  mortals  revere  his  memory! 
Having  been  the  soul  and  support  of  one  of  the  greatest  events  of 
the  century,  it  is  just  that  Washington  should  pass  his  days  without  a 
cloud,  in  the  bosom  of  repose,  of  honor  and  public  veneration.  Nature 
sometimes  places  the  soul  of  a  hero  in  a  feeble  body;  but  when  we 
speak  of  the  brilliant  actions  of  a  man  whose  features  and  stature  we 
are  ignorant  of,  we  are  inclined  to  paint  him  as  endowed  with  every 
valuable  gift  of  nature,  and  please  ourselves  with  believing  that  his 
features  bear  the  image  of  that  genius  which  distinguishes  him  above 
his  fellow  men.  No  person  is  better  calculated  to  sustain  this  opinion 
than  Washington.  Imposing  in  size,  noble  and  well  proportioned,  a 
countenance  open,  calm  and  sedate,  but  without  any  one  striking 
feature,  and  when  you  depart  from  him,  the  remembrance  only  of  a 
fine  man  will  remain,  a  fine  figure,  an  exterior  plain  and  modest,  a 
pleasing  address,  firm  without  severity,  a  manly  courage,  an  uncom 
mon  capacity  for  grasping  the  whole  scope  of  a  subject,  and  a  complete 
experience  in  war  and  politics ;  equally  useful  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the 
field  of  Mars,  the  idol  of  his  country,  the  admiration  of  the  enemy  he 
has  fought  and  vanquished;  modest  in  victory,  great  in  the  reverse; 


24  JOSEPH  MANDRILLON. 


why  do  I  say  reverse !  very  far  from  being  subdued  he  has  made  every 
misfortune  contribute  to  his  success.  He  knows  to  obey  as  well  as  to 
command,  he  never  made  use  of  his  power  or  the  submission  of  his 
army  to  derogate  from  the  authority  of  his  country  or  to  disobey  its 
commands.  With  a  perfect  knowledge  of  man,  he  knew  how  to  govern 
freemen  in  peace,  and  by  his  example,  his  activity,  his  energy,  he 
taught  them  to  love  glory  and  danger,  notwithstanding  the  inclemency 
of  the  climate  and  the  rigors  of  winter.  The  soldier  jealous  of  his 
praises,  feared  even  his  silence;  never  was  general  better  served  and 
obeyed.  More  careful  of  his  country's  glory  than  his  own,  he  risked 
nothing  to  chance;  his  operations,  marked  by  prudence,  had  always 
the  welfare  of  his  country  for  their  sole  object;  he  appeared  unwilling 
to  possess  glory  but  from  her  alone :  his  maxim  was  always  to  gain 
time,  to  act  on  the  defence;  without  attacking  his  enemies  in  front,  he 
knew  how  to  harass  them,  to  exhaust  their  forces  by  excursions,  by 
surprises,  of  which  only  a  great  man  can  value  the  utility.  Like 
Camillus  he  forsook  the  charms  of  rural  life  and  flew  to  the  assistance 
of  his  country;  like  Fabius  he  saved  it  by  procrastinating;  like  Peter 
the  Great  he  triumphed  over  his  enemies  by  the  experience  acquired 
through  defeat.  There  is  not  a  man,  not  even  a  monarch  in  Europe 
who  would  not  envy  the  glory  of  having  acted  such  a  part  as  Wash 
ington.  It  is  said  the  king  of  Prussia  sent  him  a  sword  with  only 
this  direction.  The  greatest  general  of  the  old  world  to  the  greatest  gen 
eral  of  the  new. 

If  ever  mortal  enjoyed  his  whole  reputation  during  his  lifetime, 
if  ever  a  citizen  has  found  in  his  own  country  a  reward  for  his  services 
and  abilities,  it  is  my  hero;  every  where  feted,  admired,  caressed,  he 


JOSEPH  MANDRILLON.  25 

every  where  sees  hearts  eager  to  render  him  homage ;  if  he  enters  a 
town,  or  if  he  passes  through  a  village,  old  and  young  men,  women 
and  children,  all  follow  him  with  acclamations;  all  load  him  with 
blessings ;  in  every  heart  he  has  a  temple  consecrated  to  respect  and 
friendship.  How  I  love  to  imagine  to  myself  the  French  general,  (M. 
de  Rochambeau)  equally  the  idol  and  the  hero  of  his  army,  saying  at 
table  as  he  sat  near  Washington,  that  he  had  never  known  what  true 
glory  was,  nor  a  truly  great  man,  until  he  became  acquainted  with 
him.  When  America,  overthrown  by  the  dreadful  revolutions  of  na 
ture  shall  no  longer  exist,  it  will  be  remembered  of  Washington,  that 
he  was  the  defender  of  liberty,  the  friend  of  man,  and  the  avenger  of 
an  oppressed  people. 


JOSEPH  MANDRILLON  was  born  at  Bourg-en-Bresse,  France,  in  1742.  Having  embraced 
the  mercantile  profession,  he  established  himself  at  Amsterdam,  from  whence  he  made  a 
voyage  to  the  United  States,  and  afterwards  published  the  results  of  his  observations  in  a 
lamo.  Volume,  entitled  "Le  Spectateur  Americain,"  Amsterdam,  1784.  Our  translation  of 
his  Portrait  of  Washington  is  from  a  copy  of  the  book,  presented  by  him  to  the  "  American 
Philosophical  Society,"  of  which  he  was  elected  a  member,  January  22d,  1785.  A  contem 
porary  translation  was  published  in  the  Columbian  Magazine,  January  1787.  After  his  re 
turn  to  Holland,  his  opposition  to  the  Stadtholder  made  him  unpopular,  and  he  went  to 
France.  The  independence  of  his  character  caused  him  to  be  suspected  by  Robespierre,  and 
he  was  guillotined  January  7th,  1794. 


MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX. 

1786. 

HERE  would  be  the  proper  place  to  give  the  portrait  of  General 
Washington  :  but  what  can  my  testimony  add  to  the  idea  already 
formed  of  him  ?  The  continent  of  North  America,  from  Boston  to 
Charles  Town,  is  a  great  volume,  every  page  of  which  presents  his 
eulogium.  I  know,  that  having  had  the  opportunity  of  a  near  in 
spection,  and  of  closely  observing  him,  some  more  particular  details 
may  be  expected  from  me;  but  the  strongest  characteristic  of  this 
respectable  man  is  the  perfect  union  which  reigns  between  the  physical 
and  moral  qualities  which  compose  the  individual,  one  alone  will 
enable  you  to  judge  of  all  the  rest.  If  you  are  presented  with  medals 
of  Caesar,  of  Trajan,  or  Alexander,  on  examining  their  features,  you 
will  still  be  led  to  ask  what  was  their  stature,  and  the  form  of  their 
persons  ;  but  if  you  discover,  in  a  heap  of  ruins,  the  head  or  the  limb 
of  an  antique  Apollo,  be  not  curious  about  the  other  parts,  but  rest 
assured  that  they  all  were  conformable  to  those  of  a  God.  Let  not 
this  comparison  be  attributed  to  enthusiasm  !  It  is  not  my  intention 
to  exaggerate,  I  wish  only  to  express  the  impression  General  Wash 
ington  has  left  on  my  mind ;  the  idea  of  a  perfect  whole,  that  cannot 
be  the  produce  of  enthusiasm,  which  rather  would  reject  it,  since  the 
effect  of  proportion  is  to  diminish  the  idea  of  greatness.  Brave  with 
out  temerity,  laborious  without  ambition,  generous  without  prodi- 
(26) 


MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX.  27 


gality,  noble  without  pride,  virtuous  without  severity  ;  he  seems  always 
to  have  confined  himself  within  those  limits,  where  the  virtues,  by 
clothing  themselves  in  more  lively,  but  more  changeable  and  doubtful 
colours,  may  be  mistaken  for  faults.  This  is  the  seventh  year  that  he 
has  commanded  the  army,  and  that  he  has  obeyed  the  Congress ;  more 
need  not  be  said,  especially  in  America,  where  they  knozu  how  to  appre 
ciate  all  the  merit  contained  in  this  simple  fact.  Let  it  be  repeated  that 
Conde  was  intrepid,  Turenne  prudent,  Eugene  adroit,  Catinat  disin 
terested.  It  is  not  thus  that  Washington  will  be  characterized.  It 
will  be  said  of  him,  AT  THE  END  OF  A  LONG  CIVIL  WAR,  HE  HAD  NOTHING 
WITH  WHICH  HE  COULD  REPROACH  HIMSELF.  If  any  thing  can  be  more 
marvellous  than  such  a  character,  it  is  the  unanimity  of  the  public 
suffrages  in  his  favour.  Soldier,  magistrate,  people,  all  love  and  ad 
mire  him ;  all  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  tenderness  and  veneration. 
Does  there  then  exist  a  virtue  capable  of  restraining  the  injustice  of 
mankind;  or  are  glory  and  happiness  too  recently  established  in 
America,  for  Envy  to  have  deigned  to  pass  the  seas  ? 

In  speaking  of  this  perfect  whole  of  which  General  Washington 
furnishes  the  idea,  I  have  not  excluded  exterior  form.  His  stature  is 
noble  and  lofty,  he  is  well  made,  and  exactly  proportioned ;  his  phy 
siognomy  mild  and  agreeable,  but  such  as  to  render  it  impossible  to 
speak  particularly  of  any  of  his  features,  so  that  in  quitting  him,  you 
have  only  the  recollection  of  a  fine  face.  He  has  neither  a  grave  nor 
a  familiar  face,  his  brow  is  sometimes  marked  with  thought,  but  never 
with  inquietude;  in  inspiring  respect,  he  inspires  confidence,  and  his 
smile  is  always  the  smile  of  benevolence. 

But  above  all,  it  is  in  the  midst  of  his  General  Officers,  that  it  is 


28  MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX. 

interesting  to  behold  him.  General  in  a  republic,  he  has  not  the  im 
posing  stateliness  of  a  Marechal  de  France  who  gives  the  order ;  a 
hero  in  a  republic,  he  excites  another  sort  of  respect,  which  seems  to 
spring  from  the  sole  idea,  that  the  safety  of  each  individual,  is  attached 
to  his  person.  As  for  the  rest,  I  must  observe  on  this  occasion,  that 
the  General  Officers  of  the  American  army,  have  a  very  military  and 
a  very  becoming  carriage ;  that  even  all  the  officers,  whose  char 
acters  were  brought  into  public  view,  unite  much  politeness  to  a  great 
deal  of  capacity ;  that  the  headquarters  of  this  army,  in  short,  neither 
present  the  image  of  want,  nor  inexperience.  When  one  sees  the  bat 
talion  of  the  General's  guards  encamped  within  the  precincts  of  his 
house ;  nine  waggons,  destined  to  carry  his  baggage,  ranged  in  his 
court ;  a  great  number  of  grooms  taking  care  of  very  fine  horses 
belonging  to  the  General  Officers  and  their  Aides  de  Camp ;  when 
one  observes  the  perfect  order  that  reigns  within  these  precincts, 
where  the  guards  are  exactly  stationed,  and  where  the  drums  beat  an 
alarm,  and  a  particular  retreat,  one  is  tempted  to  apply  to  the  Ameri 
cans  what  Pyrrhus  said  of  the  Romans  :  Truly  these  people  have  nothing 
barbarous  in  their  discipline.' 


FRANCOIS  JEAN,  MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX  was  born  at  Paris,  in  1734,  and  died  there 
October  28,  1788.  He  was  elected  in  1775,  one  of  the  forty  members  of  the  French  Academy, 
and  in  1780  came  to  America  as  a  Major  General  in  the  French  army  under  the  Count  de 
Rochambeau.  He  gained  the  particular  friendship  of  Washington,  of  whom  he  was  a  great 
admirer,  and  while  on  a  tour  through  the  country,  passed  several  days  with  him  at  his  head 
quarters  near  Passaic  Falls,  N.  J.,  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1780.  The  well-known 
pen-portrait  of  Washington,  in  his  "  Voyage  dans  1' Amerique  Septentrionale  dans  les  Annees 
1780-2,"  Paris  1786,  and  which  we  quote  from  a  translation  published  at  London  in  1787, 
closes  his  relation  of  this  visit.  The  translator,  George  Greive,  an  Englishman,  who  was  in 


MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX.  29 

America  in  1781-2,  and  frequently  in  the  company  of  Washington,  referring  in  a  note  (vol.  I, 
p.  139)  to  this  portrait,  says:  "  It  is  impossible  for  any  man  who  has  had  the  happiness  to  ap 
proach  the  General,  not  to  admire  the  accuracy  of  this  description,  and  the  justness  and  hap 
piness  with  which  it  is  developed,  or  to  read  it  without  the  strongest  emotion.  It  is  here 
above  all,  the  translator  roust  apologize  to  his  author;  it  is  not  possible  to  do  justice  to  the 
original,  to  feel  all  its  elegance  it  must  be  read  in  the  language  in  which  it  was  written.  Pos 
terity,  future  historians,  will  be  grateful  to  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux  for  this  exquisite  por 
trait;  every  feature,  and  every  tint  of  which  will  stand  the  test  of  the  severest  scrutiny,  and 
be  handed  down  to  distant  ages  in  never  fading  colours." 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 

1789. 

No  person  who  had  not  the  advantage  of  being  present  when 
General  Washington  received  the  intelligence  of  peace,  and  who  did 
not  accompany  him  to  his  domestic  retirement,  can  describe  the  relief 
which  that  joyful  event  brought  to  his  labouring  mind,  or  the  supreme 
satisfaction  with  which  he  withdrew  to  private  life.  From  his  tri 
umphant  entry  into  New  York,  upon  the  evacuation  of  that  city  by 
the  British  army,  to  his  arrival  at  Mount  Vernon,  after  the  resignation 
of  his  commission  to  Congress,  festive  crowds  impeded  his  passage 
through  all  the  populous  towns;  the  devotion  of  a  whole  people  pur 
sued  him  with  prayers  to  Heaven  for  blessings  on  his  head,  while 
their  gratitude  sought  the  most  expressive  language  of  manifesting 
itself  to  him  as  their  common  father  and  benefactor.  When  he  be 
came  a  private  citizen,  he  had  the  unusual  felicity  to  find,  that  his 
native  state  was  among  the  most  zealous  in  doing  justice  to  his 
merits  ;  and  that  stronger  demonstrations  of  affectionate  esteem  (if 
possible)  were  given  by  the  citizens  of  his  neighborhood,  than  by  any 
other  description  of  men  on  the  continent.  But  he  has  constantly 
declined  accepting  any  compensation  for  his  services,  or  provision  for 
the  augmented  expenses  which  have  been  incurred  by  him  in  conse 
quence  of  his  public  employment,  although  proposals  have  been  made 
(30) 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE.  3 1 

in  the  most  delicate  manner,  particularly  by  the  states  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania. 

The  virtuous  simplicity  which  distinguishes  the  private  life  of 
General  Washington,  though  less  known  than  the  dazzling  splendor 
of  his  military  achievements,  is  not  less  edifying  in  example,  or 
worthy  the  attention  of  his  countrymen.  The  conspicuous  character 
he  has  acted  on  the  theatre  of  human  affairs,  the  uniform  dignity  with 
which  he  sustained  his  part,  amidst  difficulties  of  the  most  discouraging 
nature,  and  the  glory  of  having  arrived  through  them  at  the  hour  of 
triumph,  have  made  many  official  and  literary  persons,  on  both  sides 
of  the  ocean,  ambitious  of  a  correspondence  with  him.  These  corres 
pondencies  unavoidably  engross  a  great  portion  of  his  time ;  and  the 
communications  contained  in  them,  combined  with  the  numerous 
periodical  publications  and  news-papers  which  he  peruses,  render  him 
as  it  were  the  focus  of  political  intelligence  for  the  new  world.  Nor  are 
his  conversations  with  well  informed  men  less  conducive  to  bring  him 
acquainted  with  the  various  events  which  happen  in  different  countries 
of  the  globe.  Every  foreigner  of  distinction,  who  travels  in  America, 
makes  it  a  point  to  visit  him.  Members  of  Congress  and  other  digni 
fied  personages  do  not  pass  his  house,  without  calling  to  pay  their 
respects.  As  another  source  of  information,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
that  many  literary  productions  are  sent  to  him  annually,  by  their 
authors  in  Europe ;  and  that  there  is  scarcely  one  work  written  in 
America  on  any  art,  science,  or  subject,  which  does  not  seek  his  pro 
tection,  or  which  is  not  offered  to  him  as  a  token  of  gratitude.  Me 
chanical  inventions  are  frequently  submitted  to  him  for  his  approba 
tion,  and  natural  curiosities  presented  for  his  investigation.  But  the 


32  JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 


multiplicity  of  epistolary  applications,  often  on  the  remains  of  some 
business  which  happened  when  he  was  Commander-in-Chief,  some 
times  on  subjects  foreign  to  his  situation,  frivolous  in  their  nature, 
and  intended  merely  to  gratify  the  vanity  of  the  writers,  by  drawing 
answers  from  him,  is  truly  distressing,  and  almost  incredible.  His 
benignity  in  answering,  perhaps  increases  the  number.  Did  he  not 
husband  every  moment  to  the  best  advantage,  it  would  not  be  in  his 
power  to  notice  the  vast  variety  of  subjects  that  claim  his  attention. 
Here  a  minuter  description  of  his  domestic  life  may  be  expected. 

To  apply  a  life,  at  best  but  short,  to  the  most  useful  purposes,  he 
lives  as  he  ever  has  done,  in  the  unvarying  habits  of  regularity,  tem 
perance,  and  industry.  He  rises,  in  winter  as  well  as  summer,  at  the 
dawn  of  day ;  and  generally  reads  or  writes  some  time  before  break 
fast.  He  breakfasts  about  seven  o'clock  on  three  small  Indian  hoe- 
cakes,  and  as  many  dishes  of  tea.  He  rides  immediately  to  his  differ 
ent  farms,  and  remains  with  his  labourers  until  a  little  past  two  o'clock, 
when  he  returns  and  dresses.  At  three  he  dines,  commonly  on  a 
single  dish,  and  drinks  from  half  a  pint  to  a  pint  of  Madeira  wine. 
This,  with  one  small  glass  of  punch,  a  draught  of  beer,  and  two  dishes 
of  tea  (which  he  takes  half  an  hour  before  sun-setting)  constitutes  his 
whole  sustenance  till  the  next  day.  Whether  there  be  company  or 
not,  the  table  is  always  prepared,  by  its  elegance  and  exuberance,  for 
their  reception ;  and  the  General  remains  at  it  for  an  hour  after  din 
ner,  in  familiar  conversation  and  convivial  hilarity.  It  is  then  that 
every  one  present  is  called  upon  to  give  some  absent  friend  as  a  toast ; 
the  name  not  unfrequently  awakens  a  pleasing  remembrance  of  past 
events,  and  gives  a  new  turn  to  the  animated  colloquy.  General  Wash- 


JED  ID  I  AH  MORSE.  33 


ington  is  more  chearful  than  he  was  in  the  army.  Although  his  tem 
per  is  rather  of  a  serious  cast,  and  his  countenance  commonly  carries 
the  impression  of  thoughtfulness,  yet  he  perfectly  relishes  a  pleasant 
story,  an  unaffected  sally  of  wit,  or  a  burlesque  description,  which  sur 
prises  by  its  suddenness  and  incongruity  with  the  ordinary  appearance 
of  the  object  described.  After  this  sociable  and  innocent  relaxation, 
he  applies  himself  to  business,  and  about  nine  o'clock  retires  to  rest. 
This  is  the  rotine,  and  this  the  hour  he  observes,  when  no  one  but 
his  family  is  present;  at  other  times,  he  attends  politely  upon  his  com 
pany  until  they  wish  to  withdraw. 

Notwithstanding  he  has  no  offspring,  his  actual  family  consists  of 
eight  persons.*  It  is  seldom  alone.  He  keeps  a  pack  of  hounds,  and 
in  the  season  indulges  himself  with  hunting  once  in  a  week;  at  which 
diversion  the  gentlemen  of  Alexandria  often  assist. 

Agriculture  is  the  favourite  employment  of  General  Washington, 
in  which  he  wishes  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days.  To  acquire 
and  communicate  practical  knowledge,  he  corresponds  with  Mr.  Arthur 
Young,  who  has  written  so  sensibly  on  the  subject,  and  also  with 
many  agricultural  gentlemen  in  this  country.  As  improvement  is 
known  to  be  his  passion,  he  receives  envoys  with  rare  seeds  and  re 
sults  of  new  projects  from  every  quarter.  He  likewise  makes  copious 
notes,  relative  to  his  own  experiments,  the  state  of  the  seasons,  the 


* The  family  of  General  Washington,  in  addition  to  the  General  and  his  Lady,  consists 
of  Major  George  Washington  {Nephew  to  the  General  and  late  Aid  de  Camp  to  the  Marquis 
de  la  Fayette]  with  his  wife,  who  is  a  niece  to  the  General's  Lady — Col.  Humphreys, 
formerly  Aid  de  Camp  to  the  General — Mr.  Lear,  a  gentleman  of  literal  education,  private 
Secretary  to  the  General — and  two  Grand  Children  of  Mrs.  Washington. 

5 


34  JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 


nature  of  soils,  the  effects  of  different  kinds  of  manure,  and  such  other 
topics  as  may  throw  light  on  the  farming  business. 

On  Saturday  in  the  afternoon,  every  week,  reports  are  made  by 
all  his  overseers,  and  registered  in  books  kept  for  the  purpose :  so  that 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  the  quantity  of  labour  and  produce  may  be  ac 
curately  known.  Order  and  economy  are  established  in  all  the  de 
partments  within  and  without  doors.  His  lands  are  enclosed  in  lots 
of  equal  dimensions,  and  crops  are  assigned  to  each  for  many  years. 
Every  thing  is  undertaken  on  a  great  scale;  but  with  a  view  to  intro 
duce  or  augment  the  culture  of  such  articles  as  he  conceives  will  be 
come  most  beneficial  in  their  consequence  to  the  country.  He  has 
raised  this  year,  two  hundred  lambs,  sowed  twenty  seven  bushels  of 
flax  seed,  and  planted  more  than  seven  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes. 
In  the  meantime,  the  publick  may  rest  persuaded,  that  there  is  manu 
factured  under  his  roof,  linen  and  woolen  cloth,  nearly  or  quite  suffi 
cient  for  the  use  of  his  numerous  household. 


EXTRACT  from  a  Biographical  Sketch  of  Washington  by,  JEDIDIAH  MORSE,  D.D.,  in  his 
"  American  Geography  or  a  view  of  the  present  situation  of  the  United  States  of  America." 
Elizabeth-Town,  (N.  J.)  1789:  8vo.  Dr.  Morse,  of  whom  a  brief  notice  will  be  found  on  a 
succeeding  page,  prepared  at  New  Haven  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  age,  (1784),  a  small 
geography  for  the  use  of  schools,  which  was  the  first  work  of  the  kind  in  America.  This  was 
followed  by  larger  geographies  and  gazetteers  of  the  United  States,  from  materials  obtained 
by  travelling  and  correspondence — especially  that  of  Jeremy  Belknap,  the  historian;  Thomas 
Hutchins,  the  geographer;  and  Ebenezer  Hazard.  For  thirty  years  no  important  competitor 
appeared  in  this  field  of  literature,  and  translations  of  his  works  were  made  into  the  French 
and  German  languages.  He  has  been  termed  the  "  father  of  American  geography." 


WILLIAM  P.  CAREY. 

1789. 

ABOVE  the  cruel  views  of  a  conqueror,  who,  actuated  by  the  lust 
of  fame,  shuts  his  ears  to  the  supplications  of  pity,  and  hardening 
his  heart  for  the  work  of  devastation,  wars  to  establish  a  shining  in 
famy,  by  the  destruction  of  his  fellow-creatures  on  the  smoking  ruins 
of  desolated  kingdoms,  the  great  Washington  fought  to  befriend  and 
save  mankind,  in  defence  of  whatever  is  most  dear  to  the  generous 
breast  of  enlightened  patriotism.  Distinguished,  in  an  eminent  de 
gree,  for  the  great  qualities  of  the  Macedonian  and  Swedish  heroes, 
yet  unsullied  by  the  savage  cruelty  and  intemperance  of  the  one,  or 
mad  ambition  and  obstinacy  of  the  other,  he  possessed  the  rare  gift  of 
uniting  all  the  sublime  talents  requisite  in  the  founder  of  a  mighty 
empire,  with  the  polished  refinements  of  civilized  society,  and  the 
softest  feelings  of  humanity.  A  stranger  to  profusion,  yet  generous  in 
every  instance  where  liberality  was  a  virtue;  during  the  late  troubles, 
his  fortune  was  employed  in  succouring  merit,  rewarding  bravery, 
promoting  discipline  in  the  soldiery,  and  subordination  to  the  new 
established  government,  in  the  citizens.  At  a  time  when  the  calami 
ties  incident  to  a  state  of  civil  warfare,  fell  heavy  on  all  ranks,  but 
principally  on  the  middle  class  of  his  countrymen,  his  beneficence, 
which  seemed  to  shun  the  public  eye,  would  in  all  probability  be  lost 
in  oblivion,  but  for  the  voice  of  those  whom  he  freed  from  the  accu- 

(35) 


36  WILLIAM  P.   CAREY. 


mulated  miseries  of  famine,  sickness,  and  imprisonment.  Many  of 
his  good  deeds  are  passed  over  by  the  writers  of  his  time,  amidst  the 
striking  details  of  battles,  of  sieges,  and  military  manoeuvres,  with 
which  the  general  curiosity  is  often  more  pleased,  than  with  the  less 
glaring  portrait  of  private  virtue.  Born  with  abilities  to  unite  the  jar 
ring  interests  of  a  number  of  states,  and  be  the  leader  of  a  brave  and 
injured  people,  nature  has  not  been  less  favorable  to  him  in  corporeal 
than  in  mental  endowments.  His  person  is  majestic  and  striking,  his 
physiognomy  is  pre-possessing,  and  strongly  expressive  of  the  noble 
qualities  of  his  soul :  the  dignity  of  his  appearance  inspires  an  awe, 
which  keeps  the  unacquainted  beholder  at  a  respectful  distance,  until 
the  easy  politeness  of  his  manner,  formed  to  gain  the  affections  without 
artifice,  and  the  modest  frankness  of  his  conversation,  fraught  with 
judicious  reflexions,  founded  on  a  thorough  knowledge  of  human 
nature,  insensibly  banish  the  coldness  of  reserve,  and  induce  the 
philosopher,  the  soldier,  and  polished  gentleman,  to  quit  his  com 
pany  with  regret,  filled  with  sentiments  of  enthusiastic  reverence  and 
admiration.  *  *  *  * 

Having  equalled  the  greatest  heroes  of  antiquity  in  glory,  the  illus 
trious  Washington  surpassed  them  in  virtue  and  exemplary  modera 
tion;  when  his  fellow-soldiers  laid  aside  the  sword  to  add  lustre  to  the 
arts — to  cultivate  their  native  fields,  and  to  enrich  the  United  States,  by 
a  beneficial  commerce — when  the  childless  father,  the  lone  orphan,  and 
the  widowed  mourner,  restored  to  the  bosom  of  peace,  and  the  bless 
ings  of  plenty,  forgot  their  sorrows,  and  ceased  to  weep  over  the  manes 
of  their  slaughtered  relations — the  American  hero  resigned  his  com 
mand;  he  refused  the  liberal  rewards  offered  him  by  his  grateful  coun- 


WILLIAM  P.  CAREY.  37 


try;  he  was  contented  with  the  just  approbation  of  a  virtuous  con 
science,  and  quitting  the  splendid  honors  of  a  public  life,  he  retired  to 
the  station  of  a  private  citizen. 

In  whatever  light  we  view  the  character  of  this  truly  great  man, 
we  are  struck  with  fresh  cause  for  esteem  and  admiration:  we  every 
moment  discover  new  and  shining  traits  of  humanity,  of  wisdom,  and 
disinterested  heroism :  we  see  united  in  him  the  distinguished  virtues 
of  a  good  citizen,  an  experienced  general,  an  upright  senator,  and  a 
wise  politician;  we  behold  him  rising  superior  to  every  mean  consid 
eration  of  self-love,  hazarding  his  fortunes  in  the  cause  of  freedom, 
chearfully  submitting  to  bear  the  name  of  rebel,  and  braving  an  igno 
minious  death,  to  which  he  would  inevitably  have  fallen  a  sacrifice,  had 
Britain  triumphed  in  the  contest:  we  behold  him  furnishing  an  exam 
ple  the  most  glorious  to  the  world,  the  most  animating  to  the  nations 
which  yet  groan  beneath  the  arm  of  oppression,  an  example  the  most 
interesting  to  humanity,  and  capable  of  nerving  the  palsied  arm  of  age, 
or  even  of  cowardice  itself:  we  behold  him  like  another  Aaron,  the 
sacred  delegate  of  heaven,  leading  to  the  field  a  brave  but  ill  appointed 
and  new-raised  army,  to  contend  with  the  ablest  generals  and  best 
disciplined  troops  of  the  mightiest  empire  in  the  universe:  we  behold 
him  often  without  money,  and  ill  supplied  with  provisions,  braving  the 
accumulated  severities  of  an  American  winter's  campaign,  inuring 
his  soldiers  to  fatigue,  and  training  them  by  the  practice  of  military 
evolutions,  to  defeat  the  attacks  of  a  powerful  enemy:  we  view  him 
stedfastly  pursuing  the  great  line  of  conduct  which  he  had  marked 
out  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  mitigating  the  calamities  of 
war,  preventing  the  effusion  of  human  blood,  wasting  the  forces  of  his 


38  WILLIAM  P.  CAREY. 

adversaries,  tiring  out  the  British  nation  by  avoiding  a  decisive  action, 
and  finally  triumphing  over  every  obstacle  which  seemed  insurmount 
ably  to  oppose  the  progress  of  his  arms,  and  the  freedom  of  his  country. 
The  rash  and  unthinking,  who  estimate  a  commander  by  the  multitudes 
whom  he  has  destroyed,  by  the  cities  which  he  has  sacked,  and  the 
provinces  which  he  has  desolated,  may  choose  some  ferocious  con 
queror  for  the  idol  of  their  reverence.  The  philanthropist,  who 
laments  the  miseries  which  fall  on  mankind,  by  the  usurpation  and 
ambition  of  kings,  and  the  philosopher,  who  judges  of  the  abilities  of 
a  general  by  the  tenor  of  his  plans;  and  their  consistence  with  his 
situation  and  resources,  will  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  the  Great  Wash 
ington  equal,  if  not  superior  to  the  most  shining  characters  in  ancient 
or  modern  history. 


WILLIAM  PAULETT  CAREY,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  born  in  1768.  He  became  a  resi 
dent  of  England,  and  distinguished  himself  as  an  able  advocate  of  political  reform,  and  as 
the  author  of  many  critical  and  poetical  contributions  to  the  periodicals  of  the  day.  He  died 
in  1 830.  The  sketch  from  which  we  make  the  above  extract,  was  written  in  Dublin  for  a 
periodical  entitled  the  Miscellanist,  and  was  subsequently  printed  May,  1789,  in  Vol.  V.  of 
the  American  Museum,  published  at  Philadelphia,  by  his  brother  Mathew  Carey,  the  eminent 
philanthropist,  writer  and  publisher  of  that  city.  It  will  also  be  found  in  Washingtoniana, 
Baltimore,  1800. 


BRISSOT  DE  WARVILLE. 

1791. 

SCARCELY'  had  I  arrived  at  Alexandria,  (Nov.  1788,)  when  I  has 
tened  to  pay  a  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  beautiful  seat  of  General 
Washington,  which  is  situated  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles  lower  on  the 
river.  To  arrive  at  it,  you  must  cross  a  great  deal  of  wood,  and  after 
passing  two  eminences,  you  discover  a  delightful  and  elegantly  simple 
habitation.  Before  it  there  is  a  lawn,  kept  in  excellent  order.  On  one 
side  are  the  stables,  and  on  the  other  a  green-house  and  buildings,  in 
which  the  negroes  are  employed.  In  a  kind  of  farm-yard  you  perceive 
turkeys,  geese,  ducks,  and  other  kinds  of  poultry.  From  this  mansion, 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  Potowmac,  there  is  a  most  enchanting 
prospect;  on  this  side  there  is  a  very  high  and  extensive  portico.  The 
distribution  of  the  whole  edifice  is  very  judicious  and  convenient.  On 
the  outside  it  is  covered  with  a  kind  of  varnished  plaster,  which  renders 
it  impenetrable  to  water.  The  General  did  not  arrive  till  the  evening. 
He  returned  very  much  fatigued,  from  a  tour  into  part  of  his  estates 
through  which  he  was  making  a  road.  You  have  often  heard  him  com 
pared  to  Cincinnatus;  the  comparison  is  just.  This  celebrated  General 
is  at  present  only  a  plain  farmer,  continually  employed  in  looking  after 
his  farm,  as  he  calls  it;  in  improving  the  cultivation  of  it,  and  in  build 
ing  barns.  He  showed  me  one  which  he  had  erected.  It  is  an  immense 

(39) 


40  BRISSOTDE  WARVILLE. 


building,  about  an  hundred  feet  long,  and  proportionably  broad.  It 
was  intended  to  contain  his  grain,  his  potatoes,  turnips,  etc.  Around 
it  he  has  caused  stables  to  be  constructed  for  all  his  cattle,  horses,  and 
asses,  the  breed  of  which,  unknown  in  this  country,  he  is  endeavoring 
to  increase.  This  building  is  so  properly  laid  out,  that  a  man  may  fill 
the  rack  in  a  short  time,  without  any  danger.  The  General  told  me 
that  he  had  built  it  after  a  plan  sent  to  him  by  that  celebrated  English 
farmer  Arthur  Young;  but  that  he  had  made  considerable  improve 
ments.  This  building  is  of  brick,  made  upon  the  spot.  Except  the 
joists  and  shingles  which  cover  the  roof,  and  which  he  was  obliged  to 
purchase,  because  he  was  pressed  for  time,  all  the  materials  were  pro 
cured  in  the  neighborhood.  He  told  me  that  this  barn  cost  him  no 
more  than  three  hundred  pounds :  In  France  it  would  have  cost  more 
than  80.000  livres.  This  year  he  had  sown  seven  hundred  bushels  of 
potatoes.  All  this  was  new  in  Virginia,  where  the  people  have  neither 
barns  nor  provisions  for  their  cattle. 

His  horses,  asses,  and  mules,  were  ranging  about  in  the  adjacent 
pastures.  He  told  us  that  he  intended  to  give  to  his  country  the  ex 
ample  of  forming  artificial  meadows,  which  are  there  so  rare,  yet  so 
necessary,  as  the  cattle  in  winter  are  often  in  want  of  provisions.  His 
mules  thrive  extremely  well.  He  had  a  superb  stallion,  which  will 
preserve  the  breed  of  horses  in  that  province.  He  showed  us  two 
beautiful  mules,  one  of  which  was  brought  from  Malta,  and  the  other 
from  Spain. 

His  three  hundred  negroes  were  distributed  in  log  houses,  scat 
tered  over  his  estate,  which,  in  this  place,  contains  about  ten  thousand 
acres. 


BR1SSOTDE  WARVILLE.  41 


Colonel  Humphreys,  the  poet,  who  lives  with  him  as  his  secre 
tary,  assured  me  that  his  various  estates,  in  different  places,  contain 
more  than  two  hundred  thousand  acres. 

The  General  sent  to  England  for  an  experienced  English  farmer, 
together  with  his  family,  and  has  entrusted  him  with  the  management 
of  his  whole  farm. 

In  the  General's  house  every  thing  is  simple.  His  table  is  good, 
but  void  of  pomp;  regularity  appears  throughout  all  of  his  domestic 
economy.  Mrs.  Washington  presides  over  the  whole,  and  unites  to 
the  qualities  of  an  excellent  farmer's  wife,  that  simple  dignity  which 
ought  to  characterize  a  woman  whose  husband  has  acted  so  distin 
guished  a  part.  She  is  remarkable  also  for  that  politeness,  and  atten 
tion  to  strangers,  which  render  hospitality'so  sweet.  The  same  virtues 
are  conspicuous  in  her  interesting  niece,  who  unfortunately  appears 
not  to  enjoy  good  health. 

You  have  often  heard  me  blame  M.  Chatellux  for  putting  too 
much  sprightliness  in  the  character  he  has  drawn  of  this  general.  To 
give  pretensions  to  the  portrait  of  a  man  who  has  none  is  truly  absurd. 
The  General's  goodness  appears  in  his  looks.  They  have  nothing  of 
that  brilliancy  which  his  officers  found  in  them  when  he  was  at  the 
head  of  his  army;  but  in  conversation  they  become  animated.  He 
has  no  characteristic  traits  in  his  figure,  and  this  has  rendered  it  always 
so  difficult  to  describe  it :  there  are  few  portraits  which  resemble  him. 
All  his  answers  are  pertinent ;  he  shows  the  utmost  reserve,  and  is 
very  diffident ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  is  firm  and  unchangeable  in 
whatever  he  undertakes.  His  modesty  must  be  very  astonishing, 
6 


42  BRISSOT  DE  WARVILLE. 

especially  to  a  Frenchman.*  He  speaks  of  the  American  war  as  if  he 
had  not  directed  it;  and  of  his  victories  with  an  indifference  which 
strangers  even  would  not  affect.  I  never  saw  him  divest  himself  of 
that  coolness  by  which  he  is  characterized,  and  become  warm  but 
when  speaking  of  the  present  state  of  America.  The  divisions  of  his 
country  harrow  up  his  soul ;  he  sees  the  necessity  of  collecting  all  the 
friends  of  liberty  around  one  central  point,  and  of  giving  energy  to 
government.  He  is  still  ready  to  sacrifice  that  repose  which  forms 
his  happiness.  There  is  no  happiness,  said  he  to  me,  in  grandeur, 
and  the  tumults  of  life.  This  philosopher  was  so  convinced  of  the 
above  truth,  that  from  the  moment  of  his  retreat  he  entirely  gave  up 
political  correspondence,  and  renounced  all  his  places — and  notwith 
standing  this  self  denial,  disinterestedness,  and  modesty,  this  astonish 
ing  man  has  enemies.  He  has  been  attacked  in  newspapers,  and 
accused  of  ambition  and  forming  intrigues,  when  his  whole  life,  and 
all  America,  can  bear  testimony  to  his  uprightness  and  the  integrity 
of  his  actions.  Virginia,  I  believe,  is  the  only  country  in  which  he 
has  enemies ;  every  where  else  I  never  heard  his  name  pronounced 
but  with  a  mixture  of  respect,  gratitude,  and  affection.  The  Ameri 
cans  seem  to  consider  him  as  their  father.  Washington,  perhaps,  is 
not  to  be  compared  to  the  most  celebrated  warriors,  but  he  is  the 
model  of  a  republican;  he  possesses  all  the  qualities  and  virtues  of  one. 
He  spoke  to  me  of  M.  La  Fayette  with  tenderness.  He  regarded 

*  Tacitus  has  given  a  portrait  of  Germanicus,  in  which  we  find  many  traits  of  Wash 
ington —  Tanta  illi  comitas  in  socios,  mansuetudo  in  hostes,  visit  que  auditujuxta  venerabi- 
lis,  cum  magnitudinem,  et  gravitatem  summce  fortuna  retineret,  invidiam  et  adrogantiam 
effugerat. 


BRISSOT  DE  WARVILLE.  43 

him  as  his  son;  and  foresaw  with  a  joy  mixed  with  anxiety,  the  part 
he  was  about  to  play  in  the  revolution  preparing  in  France;  he  could 
not  predict,  with  clearness  the  issue  of  this  revolution.  If,  on  the  one 
side,  he  knew  the  ardor  of  the  French  in  rushing  into  extremes,  he 
knew  on  the  other,  their  profound  idolatry  for  their  ancient  govern 
ment,  and  for  those  monarchs  whose  inviolability  appeared  to  him  a 
strange  idea. 

After  having  passed  about  three  days  in  the  house  of  this  cele 
brated  man,  who  loaded  me  with  civilities,  and  gave  me  much  infor 
mation  respecting  both  the  late  war  and  the  present  situation  of  the 
United  States,  I  returned  with  regret  to  Alexandria. 

JEAN  PIERRE  BRISSOT  was  born  at  the  village  of  Ouarville,  France,  January  14,  1754. 
He  studied  for  the  legal  profession,  which  he  early  abandoned  for  politics  and  literature,  and 
was  thrown  into  the  Bastile  for  a  short  time  in  1784,  on  a  charge  of  libel.  He  afterwards 
visited  Geneva  and  England,  and  in  1788  came  to  America,  but  intelligence  having  reached 
him  of  the  rapid  progress  liberty  was  making  in  France,  he  returned  to  his  native  country  the 
following  year.  His  "  Nouveau  Voyage  dans  les  Etats-Unis  de  1'Amerique  Septentrionale, 
fait  en  1788,"  from  Vol.  1 1  of  which  we  translate  the  recital  of  his  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  was 
published  at  Paris  in  1791.  The  work  which  attracted  much  attention  for  its  candour  and  ac 
curacy,  was  translated  and  published  at  London,  Dublin  and  New  York,  in  1792.  8vo.  Brissot 
added  to  his  name  (to  distinguish  himself  from  an  elder  brother),  de  Warville,  from  his  native 
place,  substituting  the  English  Wior  the  French  dipthong  Ou.  He  was  accused  by  Robes 
pierre,  and  guillotined  at  Paris,  October  31,  1793. 


CHARLES  JAMES  FOX. 
1/94- 

AND  here,  Sir,  I  cannot  help  alluding  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  General  Washington,  a  character  whose  conduct  has 
been  so  different  from  that,  which  has  been  pursued  by  the  ministers 
of  this  country.  How  infinitely  wiser  must  appear  the  spirit  and  prin 
ciples  manifested  in  his  late  address  to  Congress,  than  the  policy  of 
modern  European  courts !  Illustrious  man,  deriving  honor  less  from 
the  splendor  of  his  situation  than  from  the  dignity  of  his  mind ;  before 
whom  all  borrowed  greatness  sinks  into  insignificance,  and  all  the  po 
tentates  of  Europe  (excepting  the  members  of  our  own  royal  family)  be 
come  little  and  contemptible !  He  has  had  no  occasion  to  have  recourse 
to  any  tricks  of  policy  or  arts  of  alarm;  his  authority  has  been  suffi 
ciently  supported  by  the  same  means  by  which  it  was  acquired,  and 
his  conduct  has  uniformly  been  characterized  by  wisdom,  moderation, 
and  firmness.  Feeling  gratitude  to  France  for  the  assistance  received 
from  her  in  that  great  contest,  which  secured  the  independence  of 
America,  he  did  not  choose  to  give  up  the  system  of  neutrality. 
Having  once  laid  down  that  line  of  conduct,  which  both  gratitude  and 
policy  pointed  out  as  most  proper  to  be  pursued,  not  all  the  insults 
and  provocation  of  the  French  minister,  Genet,  could  turn  him  from 
his  purpose.  Intrusted  with  the  welfare  of  a  great  people,  he  did  not 
allow  the  misconduct  of  another,  with  respect  to  himself,  for  one 
(44) 


CHARLES  JAMES  FOX.  45 

moment  to  withdraw  his  attention  from  their  interest.  He  had  no  fear 
of  the  Jacobins,  he  felt  no  alarm  from  their  principles,  and  considered 
no  precaution  as  necessary  in  order  to  stop  their  progress. 

The  people  over  whom  he  presided  he  knew  to  be  acquainted 
with  their  rights  and  their  duties.  He  trusted  to  their  own  good 
sense  to  defeat  the  effect  of  those  arts,  which  might  be  employed  to 
inflame  or  mislead  their  minds;  and  was  sensible,  that  a  government 
could  be  in  no  danger,  while  it  retained  the  attachment  and  confidence 
of  its  subjects;  attachment,  in  this  instance,  not  blindly  adopted;  con 
fidence  not  implicitly  given,  but  arising  from  the  conviction  of  its  ex 
cellence,  and  the  experience  of  its  blessings.  I  cannot,  indeed,  help 
admiring  the  wisdom  and  fortune  of  this  great  man.  By  the  phrase 
'  fortune '  I  mean  not  in  the  smallest  degree  to  derogate  from  his  merit. 
But,  notwithstanding  his  extraordinary  talents  and  exalted  integrity,  it 
must  be  considered  as  singularly  fortunate,  that  he  should  have  expe 
rienced  a  lot,  which  so  seldom  falls  to  the  portion  of  humanity,  and 
have  passed  through  such  a  variety  of  scenes  without  stain  and  with 
out  reproach.  It  must,  indeed,  create  astonishment,  that,  placed  in 
circumstances  so  critical,  and  filling  for  a  series  of  years  a  station  so 
conspicuous,  his  character  should  never  once  have  been  called  in 
question;  that  he  should  in  no  one  instance  have  been  accused  either 
of  improper  insolence,  or  of  mean  submission,  in  his  transactions  with 
foreign  nations.  For  him  it  has  been  reserved  to  run  the  race  of 
glory,  without  experiencing  the  smallest  interruption  to  the  brilliancy 
of  his  career. 

CHARLES  JAMES  Fox,  termed  by  Burke  "the  most  brilliant  and  successful  debater  the 


46  CHARLES  JAMES  FOX. 

world  ever  saw,"  was  born  in  London,  January  24,  1749,  and  died  at  Chiswick,  Septem 
ber  13,  1806.  He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford,  and  was  distinguished  for  ability  both 
at  school  and  college.  He  entered  parliament  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  during  the  whole 
course  of  our  revolutionary  war,  was  a  strenuous  opponent  of  the  coercive  measures  adopted 
by  the  English  government,  and  a  most  powerful  advocate  of  the  claims  of  the  colonists.  Our 
extract  is  from  some  remarks  made  in  parliament  January  31,  1794,  in  allusion  to  Washing 
ton's  communications  to  Congress  (Dec.  3,  1793),  comprising  the  reasons  for  the  course  he 
had  pursued  respecting  foreign  powers.  In  the  introductory  chapter  to  his  "  History  of  the 
early  part  of  the  reign  of  James  the  Second,"  published  in  1808,  Mr.  Fox  also  says:  "A  char 
acter  of  virtues  so  happily  tempered  by  one  another,  and  so  wholly  unalloyed  with  any  vices, 
as  that  of  Washington,  is  hardly  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  history." 


HENRY  WANSEY. 

1794- 

JUNE  6,  (1794,)  I  had  the  honor  of  an  interview  with  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States,  to  whom  I  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Dand- 
ridge,  his  secretary.  He  received  me  very  politely,  and  after  reading 
my  letters,  I  was  asked  to  breakfast.  There  was  very  little  of  the 
ceremony  of  courts,  the  Americans  will  not  permit  this;  nor  does  the 
disposition  of  his  Excellency  lead  him  to  assume  it. 

I  confess,  I  was  struck  with  awe  and  veneration,  when  I  recol 
lected  that  I  was  now  in  the  presence  of  one  of  the  greatest  men  upon 
earth — the  GREAT  WASHINGTON — the  noble  and  wise  benefactor  of  the 
world!  as  Mirabeau  styles  him; — the  advocate  of  human  nature — the 
friend  of  both  worlds.  Whether  we  view  him  as  a  general  in  the  field, 
vested  with  unlimited  authority  and  power,  at  the  head  of  a  victorious 
army ;  or  in  the  cabinet,  as  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  or  as  a 
private  gentleman,  cultivating  his  own  farm ;  he  is  still  the  same  great 
man,  anxious  only  to  discharge  with  propriety  the  duties  of  his  rela 
tive  situation.  His  conduct  has  always  been  so  uniformly  manly,  hon 
orable,  just,  patriotic,  and  disinterested,  that  his  greatest  enemies  can 
not  fix  on  any  one  trait  of  his  character  that  can  deserve  the  least 
censure.  His  paternal  regard  for  the  army  while  he  commanded  it; 
his  earnest  and  sincere  desire  to  accomplish  the  glorious  object  for 
which  they  were  contending;  his  endurance  of  the  toils  and  hazards 

(47) 


48  HENRY  WANSEY. 


of  war,  without  ever  receiving  the  least  emolument  from  his  country; 
and  his  retirement  to  private  life  after  the  peace,  plainly  evince,  that 
his  motives  were  the  most  pure  and  patriotic,  that  could  proceed  from 
a  benevolent  heart.  His  letters  to  congress  during  the  war,  now 
lately  published  in  England,  as  well  as  his  circular  letter  and  farewell 
orders  to  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  at  the  end  of  the  war,  shew 
him  to  have  been  justly  ranked  among  the  fine  writers  of  the  age. 
When  we  look  down  from  this  truly  great  and  illustrious  character, 
upon  other  public  servants,  we  find  a  glaring  contrast ;  nor  can  we  fix 
our  attention  upon  any  other  great  men,  without  discovering  in  them 
a  vast  and  mortifying  dissimilarity! 

The  President  in  his  person,  is  tall  and  thin,  but  erect;  rather  of 
an  engaging  than  a  dignified  presence.  He  appears  very  thoughtful, 
is  slow  in  delivering  himself,  which  occasions  some  to  conclude  him 
reserved,  but  it  is  rather,  I  apprehend,  the  effect  of  much  thinking  and 
reflection,  for  there  is  great  appearance  to  me  of  affability  and  accom 
modation.  He  was  at  this  time  in  his  sixty-third  year,  being  born 
February  11,  1732,  O.  S.  but  he  has  very  little  the  appearance  of  age, 
having  been  all  his  life-time  so  exceeding  temperate.  There  is  a  cer 
tain  anxiety  visible  in  his  countenance,  with  marks  of  extreme  sensi 
bility.  *  *  *  * 

Mrs.  Washington  herself  made  tea  and  coffee  for  us.  On  the 
table  were  two  small  plates  of  sliced  tongue,  dry  toast,  bread  and  but 
ter,  etc.  but  no  broiled  fish,  as  is  the  general  custom.  Miss  Custis, 
her  grand-daughter,  a  very  pleasing  young  lady,  of  about  sixteen,  sat 
next  to  her,  and  her  brother  George  Washington  Custis,  about  two 
years  older  than  herself.  There  was  but  little  appearance  of  form : 


HENRY  WANSEY.  49 


one  servant  only  attended,  who  had  no  livery;  a  silver  urn  for  hot 
water,  was  the  only  article  of  expence  on  the  table.  She  appears 
something  older  than  the  President,  though,  I  understand,  they  were 
both  born  in  the  same  year;  short  in  stature,  rather  robust;  very  plain 
in  her  dress,  wearing  a  very  plain  cap,  with  her  grey  hair  closely 
turned  up  under  it.  She  has  routs  or  levees,  (which  ever  the  people 
chuses  to  call  them)  every  Wednesday  and  Saturday  at  Philadelphia, 
during  the  sitting  of  Congress.  But  the  Anti-federalists  object  even 
to  these,  as  tending  to  give  a  supereminency,  and  introductory  to  the 
paraphernalia  of  courts. 


HENRY  WANSEY,  a  Wiltshire  clothier,  who  died  at  Warminster,  England,  July  19,  1827, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  travelled  in  this  country  in  1794,  and  when  in  Philadelphia  took 
breakfast  with  Washington,  as  above  mentioned.  Mr.  Wansey  kept  a  journal  of  his  trip, 
which  was  afterwards  published  at  Salisbury,  in  1796,  with  the  title,  "The  Journal  of  an  Ex 
cursion  to  the  United  States  of  North  America  in  the  summer  of  1794,"  8vo.,  from  which 
our  extract  is  made.  A  second  edition  appeared  in  1 798,  the  title  slightly  different. 


ISAAC  WELD. 

1796. 

ON  this  day,  (February  22.  1796,)  General  Washington  terminated 
his  sixty-fourth  year;  but  though  not  an  unhealthy  man,  he  seemed 
considerably  older.  The  innumerable  vexations  he  has  met  with  in 
his  different  public  capacities  have  very  sensibly  impaired  the  vigour 
of  his  constitution,  and  given  him  an  aged  appearance.  There  is  a 
very  material  difference,  however,  in  his  looks  when  seen  in  private 
and  when  he  appears  in  public  full  drest;  in  the  latter  case  the  hand 
of  art  makes  up  for  the  ravages  of  time,  and  he  seems  many  years 
younger. 

Few  persons  find  themselves  for  the  first  time  in  the  presence  of 
General  Washington,  a  man  so  renowned  in  the  present  day  for  his 
wisdom  and  moderation,  and  whose  name  will  be  transmitted  with 
such  honour  to  posterity,  without  being  impressed  with  a  certain  de 
gree  of  veneration  and  awe;  nor  do  these  emotions  subside  on  a  closer 
acquaintance;  on  the  contrary,  his  person  and  deportment  are  such  as 
rather  tend  to  augment  them.  There  is  something  very  austere  in  his 
countenance,  and  in  his  manners  he  is  uncommonly  reserved.  I  have 
heard  some  officers,  that  served  immediately  under  his  command  dur 
ing  the  American  war,  say,  that  they  never  saw  him  smile  during  all 
the  time  that  they  were  with  him.  No  man  has  ever  yet  been  connected 
with  him  by  the  reciprocal  and  unconstrained  ties  of  friendship;  and 
(50) 


IS  A  A  C  WELD.  51 


but  a  few  can  boast  even  of  having  been  on  an  easy  and  familiar  footing 
with  him. 

The  height  of  his  person  is  about  five  feet  eleven ;  his  chest  is  full ; 
and  his  limbs,  though  rather  slender,  well  shaped  and  muscular.  His 
head  is  small,  in  which  respect  he  resembles  the  make  of  a  great  num 
ber  of  his  countrymen.  His  eyes  are  of  a  light  grey  colour;  and  in 
proportion  to  the  length  of  his  face,  his  nose  is  long.  Mr.  Stewart, 
the  eminent  portrait  painter,  told  me,  that  there  are  features  in  his  face 
totally  different  from  what  he  ever  observed  in  that  of  any  other  human 
being;  the  sockets  for  the  eyes,  for  instance,  are  larger  than  what  he 
ever  met  with  before,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  nose  broader.  All  his 
features,  he  observed,  were  indicative  of  the  strongest  and  most  un 
governable  passions,  and  had  he  been  born  in  the  forests,  it  was  his 
opinion  that  he  would  have  been  the  fiercest  man  among  the  savage 
tribes.  In  this  Mr.  Stewart  has  given  proof  of  his  great  discernment 
and  intimate  knowledge  of  the  human  countenance;  for  although  Gen 
eral  Washington  has  been  extolled  for  his  great  moderation  and  calm 
ness,  during  the  very  trying  situations  in  which  he  has  so  often  been 
placed,  yet  those  who  have  been  acquainted  with  hirh  the  longest  and 
most  intimately  say,  that  he  is  by  nature  a  man  of  a  fierce  and  irritable 
disposition,  but  that,  like  Socrates,  his  judgment  and  great  self-com 
mand  have  always  made  him  appear  a  man  of  a  different  cast  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  He  speaks  with  great  diffidence,  and  sometimes 
hesitates  for  a  word;  but  it  is  always  to  find  one  particularly  well 
adapted  to  his  meaning.  His  language  is  manly  and  expressive.  At 
levee  his  discourse  with  strangers  turns  principally  upon  the  subject  of 
America;  and  if  they  have  been  through  any  remarkable  places,  his 


52  ISAAC  WELD. 


conversation  is  free  and  particularly  interesting,  as  he  is  intimately 
acquainted  with  every  part  of  the  country.  He  is  much  more  open  and 
free  in  his  behaviour  at  levee  than  in  private,  and  in  the  company  of 
ladies,  still  more  so  than  when  solely  with  men. 

General  Washington  gives  no  public  dinners  or  other  entertain 
ments,  except  to  those  who  are  in  diplomatic  capacities,  and  to  a  few 
families  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  Mrs.  Washington.  Strangers  with 
whom  he  wishes  to  have  some  conversation  about  agriculture,  or  any 
such  subject,  are  sometimes  invited  to  tea.  This  by  many  is  attributed 
to  his  saving  disposition;  but  it  is  more  just  to  ascribe  it  to  his  pru 
dence  and  foresight;  for  as  the  salary  of  the  president,  as  I  have  before 
observed,  is  very  small,  and  totally  inadequate  by  itself  to  support  an 
expensive  style  of  life,  were  he  to  give  numerous  and  splendid  enter 
tainments  the  same  might  possibly  be  expected  from  subsequent  presi 
dents,  who,  if  their  private  fortunes  were  not  considerable,  would  be 
unable  to  live  in  the  same  style,  and  might  be  exposed  to  many  ill- 
natured  observations,  from  the  relinquishment  of  what  the  people  had 
been  accustomed  to;  it  is  most  likely  also  that  General  Washington 
has  been  actuated  by  these  motives,  because  in  his  private  capacity  at 
Mount  Vernon  every  stranger  meets  with  a  hospitable  reception  from 
him. 

General  Washington's  self-moderation  is  well  known  to  the  world 
already.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  which  redounds  to  his  eter 
nal  honour,  that  while  president  of  the  United  States  he  never  appointed 
one  of  his  own  relations  to  any  office  of  trust  or  emolument,  although 
he  has  several  that  are  men  of  abilities,  and  well  qualified  to  fill  the 
most  important  stations  in  the  government. 


ISAAC  WELD.  53 


ISAAC  WELD  was  born  in  Dublin,  1774,  and  died  in  1856.  He  travelled  quite  extensively 
in  America,  and  was  in  Philadelphia,  February  22,  1796,  Washington's  birthday,  and  writes 
that  the  city  was  unusually  gay,  every  person  of  consequence  in  it,  Quakers  alone  excepted, 
making  it  a  point  to  visit  the  General,  in  its  honor.  The  audience  lasted  from  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  till  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  public  ball  and  supper  terminated  the  rejoic 
ings  of  the  day.  His  travels  were  published  at  London  in  1799,  with  the  title,  "Travels 
through  the  States  of  North  America,  and  the  provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  during 
the  years  1795,  1796  and  1797,"  4to.,  and  from  which  we  quote.  A  number  of  two  vol.  edi 
tions  were  subsequently  issued,  and  it  was  also  translated  into  French  and  German. 


JOHN  MARSHALL. 

1799. 

REMARKS  MADE  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  DECEMBER  19,  1799,  ON  PRESENT 

ING  THE  RESOLUTIONS  PREPARED  BY  HENRY  LEE,  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON. 

THE  melancholy  event  which  was  yesterday  announced  with  doubt, 
has  been  rendered  but  too  certain.  Our  Washington  is  no  more  !  The 
Hero,  the  Sage,  and  the  Patriot  of  America  —  the  man  on  whom  in 
times  of  danger,  every  eye  was  turned,  and  all  hopes  were  placed,  — 
lives  now,  only  in  his  own  great  actions,  and  in  the  hearts  of  an  affec 
tionate  and  afflicted  people. 

If,  sir,  it  had  even  not  been  usual,  openly  to  testify  respect  for  the 
memory  of  those  whom  Heaven  had  selected  as  its  instruments,  for 
dispensing  good  to  men,  yet,  such  has  been  the  uncommon  worth,  and 
such  the  extraordinary  incidents  which  have  marked  the  life  of  him 
whose  loss  we  all  deplore,  that  the  whole  American  nation,  impelled 
by  the  same  feelings,  would  call  with  one  voice  for  a  public  manifes 
tation  of  that  sorrow  which  is  so  deep  and  universal. 

More  than  any  other  individual,  and  as  much  as  to  on£  individual 
was  possible,  has  he  contributed  to  found  this  our  wide  spreading 


_t^ie  western  world  its  independence  and  its  free 
dom. 

1     « 

Having  effected  the  great  object  for  which  he  was  placed  at  the 

(54) 


JOHN  MARSHALL.  5  5 

head  of  our  armies,  we  have  seen  him  converting  the  sword  into  the 
ploughshare,  and  voluntarily  sinking  the  soldier  in  the  citizen. 

When  the  debility  of  our  federal  system  had  become  manifest, 
and  the  bonds  which  connected  the  parts  of  this  vast  continent  were 
dissolving,  we  have  seen  him  the  Chief  of  those  patriots  who  formed 
for  us  a  Constitution,  which,  by  preserving  the  Union,  will,  I  trust, 
substantiate  and  perpetuate  those  blessings  which  our  Revolution  had 
promised  to  bestow. 

In  obedience  to  the  general  voice  of  his  country,  calling  on  him 
to  preside  over  a  great  people,  we  have  seen  him  once  more  quit  the 
retirement  he  loved,  and  in  a  season  more  stormy  and  tempestuous 
than  war  itself,  with  calm  and  wise  determination,  pursue  the  true  in 
terests  of  the  nation  and  contribute,  more  than  any  other  could  contri 
bute,  to  the  establishment  of  that  system  of  policy  which  will,  I  trust, 
yet  preserve  our  peace,  our  honour,  and  our  independence. 

Having  been  twice  unanimously  chosen  the  chief  magistrate  of  a 
free  people,  we  see  him  at  a  time,  when  his  re-election  with  the  univer 
sal  suffrage,  could  not  have  been  doubted,  affording  to  the  world  a 
rare  instance  of  moderation,  by  withdrawing  from  his  high  station  to 
the  peaceful  walks  of  private  life. 

However  the  public  confidence  may  change,  and  the  public  affec 
tions  fluctuate  with  respect  to  others,  yet  with  respect  to  him  they 
have  in  war  ajnd  in  peace,  in  public  and  in  private  life,  been  as  steady 
as  his  own  firm  mind,  and  as  constant  as  his  own  exalted  virtues. 

Let  us  then,  Mr.  Speaker,  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  and  affec 
tion  to  our  departed  friend — let  the  Grand  Council  of  the  nation  dis 
play  those  sentiments  which  the  nation  feels.  For  which  purpose  I 


56  JOHN  MARSHALL. 


hold  in  my  hand  some  resolutions  which  I  take  the  liberty  to  offer  to 
the  House. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

"The  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  having  re 
ceived  intelligence  of  the  death  of  their  highly  valued  fellow  citizen 
George  Washington,  general  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States;  and 
sharing  the  universal  grief  this  distressing  event  must  produce,  unani 
mously  resolve: 

1.  That  this  House  will   wait  on  the   President  of  the  United 
States,  in  condolence  of  this  national  calamity. 

2.  That  the  Speaker's  chair  be  shrouded  with  black,  and  that  the 
members  and  officers  of  the  House  wear  mourning,  during  the  session. 

3.  That  a  joint  committee,  of  both  Houses,  be  appointed  to  report 
measures  suitable  to  the  occasion,  and  expressive  of  the  profound  sor 


row  with  which  Congress  is  penetrated  on  the  loss 


war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 


of  a  citizen,  first  in 


SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1799. 

ADDRESS  OF  CONDOLENCE,  DECEMBER  230,  1799,  TO  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES,  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  GEORGE  WASHINGTON.    THE  ADDRESS  WAS 

REPORTED  TO  THE  SENATE  BY  MR.  DEXTER,  FROM  THE  COMMITTEE  APPOINTED 
FOR  THE  PURPOSE,  DEC.  igTH.  THE  COMMITTEE  WAS  COMPOSED  OF  SAMUEL  DEX 
TER  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  JAMES  Ross  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  AND  JACOB  READ  OF 
SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

THE  Senate  of  the  United  States  respectfully  take  leave,  Sir,  to 
express  to  you  their  deep  regret  for  the  loss  their  country  sustains  in 
the  death  of  General  George  Washington. 

This  event,  so  distressing  to  all  Our  fellow-citizens,  must  be  pecu 
liarly  heavy  to  you,  who  have  long  been  associated  with  him  in  deeds 
of  patriotism.  Permit  us,  sir,  to  mingle  our  tears  with  yours ;  on  this 
occasion  it  is  manly  to  weep.  To  lose  such  a  man,  at  such  a  crisis,  is 
no  common  calamity  to  the  world:  our  country  mourns  her  fathar. 
The  Almighty  disposer  of  human  events  has  taken  from  us  our  greatest 
benefactor  and  ornament.  It  becomes  us  to  submit  with  reverence  to 
him,  who  "maketh  darkness  his  pavilion." 

With  patriotic  pride,  we  review  the  life  of  our  Washington,  and 

compare  him  with  those  of  other  countries  who  have  been  pre-eminent 

in  fame.     Ancient  and   modern  names  are  diminished   before  him. 

Greatness  and  guilt  have  too  often  been  allied;  but  his  fame  is  whiter 

8  (57) 


58  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

than  it  is  brilliant.  The  destroyers  of  nations  stood  abashed  at  the 
majesty  of  his  virtue.  It  reproved  the  intemperance  of  their  ambition, 
and  darkened  the  splendor  of  victory.  The  scene  is  closed,  and  we 
are  no  longer  anxious  least  misfortune  should  sully  his  glory;  he  has 
travelled  on  to  the  end  of  his  journey,  and  carried  with  him  an  increas 
ing  weight  of  honor;  he  has  deposited  it  safely,  where  misfortune  can 
not  tarnish  it,  where  malice  cannot  blast  it.  Favoured  of  heaven, 
he  departed  without  exhibiting  the  weakness  of  humanity.  Magnani 
mous  in  death,  the  darkness  of  the  grave  could  not  obscure  his  bright 
ness. 

Such  was  the  man  whom  we  deplore.  Thanks  to  God !  his  glory 
is  consummated;  Washington  yet  lives — on  earth  in  his  spotless  ex 
ample — his  spirit  is  in  Heaven. 

Let  his  countrymen  consecrate  the  memory  of  the  heroic  General, 
the  patriotic  Statesman,  and  the  virtuous  Sage ;  let  them  teach  their 
children  never  to  forget  that  the  fruit  of  his  labours  and  his  example, 
are  their  inheritance. 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

1799. 

ANSWER  TO  THE  ADDRESS  OF  CONDOLENCE  OF  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  DE 
CEMBER  230,  1799,  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

I  RECEIVE,  with  the  most  respectful  and  affectionate  sentiments,  in 
this  impressive  address,  the  obliging  expressions  of  your  regard  for  the 
loss  our  country  has  sustained,  in  the  death  of  her  most  esteemed,  be 
loved,  and  admired  citizen. 

In  the  multitude  of  my  thoughts  and  recollections  on  this  melan 
choly  event,  you  will  permit  me  only  to  say,  that  I  have  seen  him  in 
the  days  of  adversity,  in  some  of  the  scenes  of  his  deepest  distress  and 
most  trying  perplexities ;  I  have  also  attended  him  in  his  highest  ele 
vation  and  most  prosperous  felicity;  with  uniform  admiration  of  his 
wisdom,  moderation,  and  constancy. 

Among  all  our  original  Associates  in  that  memorable  league  of 
the  continent  in  1774,  which  first  expressed  the  sovereign  will  of  a 
free  nation  in  America,  he  was  the  only  one  remaining  in  the  general 
government.  Although,  with  a  constitution  more  enfeebled  than  his, 
at  an  age  when  he  thought  it  necessary  to  prepare  for  retirement,  I 
feel  myself  alone,  bereaved  of  my  last  brother;  yet  I  derive  a  strong 
consolation  from  the  unanimous  disposition,  which  appears  in  all  ages 
and  classes  to  mingle  their  sorrows  with  mine,  on  this  common  calam 
ity  to  the  world. 

(59) 


60  JOHN  ADAMS. 


The  life  of  our  Washington  cannot  suffer  by  a  comparison  with 
those  of  other  countries,  who  have  been  most  celebrated  and  exalted 
by  fame.  The  attributes  and  decorations  of  royalty,  could  have  only 
served  to  eclipse  the  majesty  of  those  virtues  which  made  him,  from 
being  a  modest  citizen,  a  more  resplendent  luminary.  Misfortune,  had 
he  lived,  could  hereafter  have  sullied  his  glory  only  with  those  super 
ficial  minds,  who,  believing  that  characters  and  actions  are  marked  by 
success  alone,  rarely  deserve  to  enjoy  it.  Malice  could  never  blast  his 
honour,  and  envy  made  him  a  singular  exception  to  her  universal  rule. 

For  himself  he  had  lived  enough,  to  life  and  to  glory.  For  his 
fellow-citizens,  if  their  prayers  could  have  been  answered,  he  would 
have  been  immortal.  For  me,  his  departure  is  at  a  most  unfortunate 
moment.  Trusting,  however,  in  the  wise  and  righteous  dominion  of 
Providence  over  the  passions  of  men,  and  the  results  of  their  councils 
and  actions,  as  well  as  over  their  lives,  nothing  remains  for  me,  but 
humble  resignation. 

^His  example  is  now  complete,  and  it  will  teach  wisdom  and  virtue 
.^magistrates,  citizens,  and  men,  not  only  in  the  present  age,  but  in 
_future  generations,  as  long  as  our  history  shall  ^be  read.     If  a  Trajan 
found  a  Pliny,  a  Marcus  Aurelius  can  never  want  Biographers,  Eulo 
gists,  or  Historians. 

IN  an  address  to  the  Senate  on  a  previous  occasion,  when  taking  the  chair  as  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  United  States,  April  2ist,  1789,  JOHN  ADAMS  alluded  to  Washington  in  the 
following  terms :  "  Were  I  blessed  with  powers  to  do  justice  to  his  character,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  increase  the  confidence  or  affection  of  his  country,  or  make  the  smallest  addi 
tion  to  his  glory  ....  May,  I,  nevertheless,  be  indulged  to  inquire,  if  we  look  over  the  cata 
logue  of  the  first  magistrates  of  nations,  whether  they  have  been  denominated  presidents  or 
consuls,  kings  or  princes,  where  shall  we  find  one,  whose  commanding  talents  and  virtues, 


JOHN  ADAMS.  61 


whose  overruling  good  fortune,  have  so  completely  united  all  hearts  and  voices  in  his  favor, 
who  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  foreign  nations  and  fellow  citizens  with  equal  un 
animity?  Qualities  so  uncommon,  are  no  common  blessings  to  the  country  that  possesses 
them.  By  those  great  qualities,  and  their  benign  effects,  has  Providence  marked  out  the  head 
of  this  nation  with  a  hand,  so  distinctly  visible,  as  to  have  been  seen  by  all  men,  and  mis 
taken  by  none." 

And  again,  in  his  inaugural  address  to  both  Houses  of  Congress,  as  President,  March  4th, 
1797,  Mr.  Adams  referred  to  the  Presidency  of  Washington,  as  "the  administration  of  a 
citizen,  who,  by  a  long  course  of  great  actions  regulated  by  prudence,  justice,  temperance, 
and  fortitude,  conducting  a  people,  inspired  with  the  same  virtue,  and  animated  with  the 
same  ardent  patriotism  and  love  of  liberty,  to  independence  and  peace,  to  increasing  wealth 
and  unexampled  prosperity,  has  merited  the  gratitude  of  his  fellow-citizens,  commanded  the 
highest  praises  of  foreign  nations,  and  secured  immortal  glory  with  posterity." 


HENRY  LEE. 

1799. 

IN  obedience  to  your  will,*  I  rise  your  humble  organ,  with  the 
hope  of  executing  a  part  of  the  system  of  public  mourning  which  you 
have  been  pleased  to  adopt,  commemorative  of  the  death  of  the  most 
illustrious  and  most  beloved  personage  this  country  has  ever  pro 
duced;  and  which,  while  it  transmits  to  posterity  your  sense  of  the 
awful  event,  faintly  represents  your  knowledge  of  the  consummate  ex 
cellence  you  so  cordially  honour. 

Desperate  indeed  is  any  attempt  on  earth  to  meet  correspondently 
this  dispensation  of  heaven ;  for,  while  with  pious  resignation  we  sub 
mit  to  the  will  of  an  all-gracious  Providence,  we  can  never  cease 
lamenting,  in_niir  finite  \M>w->if-<:*miTrrwM^nr^w^^  the  heart-rending 
privation  for  which  our  nation  weeps.  When  the  civilized  world 
shakes  to  its  centre ;  when  every  moment  gives  birth  to  strange  and 
momentous  changes ;  when  our  peaceful  quarter  of  the  globe,  exempt 
as  it  happily  has  been  from  any  share  in  the  slaughter  of  the  human 
race,  may  yet  be  compelled  to  abandon  her  pacific  policy,  and  to  risk 
the  doleful  casualities  of  war :  what  limit  is  there  to  the  extent  of  our 
loss? — None  within  the  reach  of  my  words  to  express;  none  which 
your  feelings  will  not  disavow. 

The  founder  of  our  federate  republic — our  bulwark  in  war,  our 

*  The  two  Houses  of  Congress. 
(62) 


HENRY  LEE.  63 


guide  in  peace,  is  no  more!  Oh  that  this  were  but  questionable!  Hope, 
the  comforter  of  the  wretched,  would  pour  into  our  agonizing  hearts 
its  balmy  dew.  But,  alas!  there  is  no  hope  for  us;  our  Washington 
is  removed  for  ever!  Possessing  the  stoutest  frame  and  purest  mind, 
he  had  passed  nearly  to  his  sixty-eighth  year,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
high  health,  when  habituated  by  his  care  of  us  to  neglect  himself,  a 
slight  cold  disregarded,  became  inconvenient  on  Friday,  oppressive  on 
Saturday,  and  defying  every  medical  interposition,  before  the  morning 
of  Sunday,  put  an  end  to  the  best  of  men.  An  end  did  I  say? — his 
fame  survives !  bounded  only  by  the  limits  .of  the  earth,  and  by  the 
extent  of  the  human  mind.  He  survives  in  our  hearts,  in  the  growing 
knowledge  of  our  children,  in  the  affection  of  the  good,  throughout 
the  world;  and  when  our  monuments  shall  be  done  away;  \\fhen 
nations  now  existing  shall  be  no  more;  when  even  our  young  and  far- 
spreading  empire  shall  have  perished,  still  will  our  Washington's  g  ory 
unfaded  shine,  and  die  not,  until  love  of  virtue  cease  on  earth,  or  earth 
itself  sinks  into  chaos. 

How,  my  fellow  citizens,  shall  I  single  to  your  grateful  hearts  his 
pre-eminent  worth !  Where  shall  I  begin  in  opening  to  your  view  a 
character  throughout  sublime!  Shall  I  speak  of  his  warlike  achieve 
ments,  all  springing  from  obedience  to  his  country's  will — all  directed 
to  his  country's  good? 

Will  you  go  with  me  to  the  banks  of  the  Mongahela,  to  see  your 
youthful  Washington,  supporting,  in  the  dismal  hour  of  Indian  victory, 
the  ill-fated  Braddock;  and  saving  by  his  judgement  and  by  his  valour, 
the  remains  of  a  defeated  army,  pressed  by  the  conquering  savage  foe? 
or,  when — oppressed  America  nobly  resolving  to  risk  her  all  in  de- 


64  HENRY  LEE. 


fence  of  her  violated  rights — he  was  elevated  by  the  unanimous  voice 
of  Congress  to  the  command  of  her  armies?  Will  you  follow  him  to 
the  high  grounds  of  Boston,  where  to  an  undisciplined,  courageous, 
and  virtuous  yeomanry,  his  presence  gave  the  stability  of  system,  and 
infused  the  invincibility  of  love  of  country?  or  shall  I  carry  you  to  the 
painful  scenes  of  Long  Island,  York  Island,  and  New-Jersey,  when, 
combating  superior  and  gallant  armies,  aided  by  powerful  fleets,  and 
led  by  chiefs  high  in  the  roll  of  fame,  he  stood  the  bulwark  of  our 
safety;  undismayed  by  disaster;  unchanged  by  change  of  fortune? 
Or  will  you  view  him  in  the  precarious  fields  of  Trenton,  where  deep 
gloom  unnerving  eveiy  arm,  reigned  triumphant  through  our  thinned, 
worn  down,  unaided  ranks;  himself  unmoved?  Dreadful  was  the  night ! 
It  was  about  this  time  of  winter — the  storm  raged — tht  Delaware, 
rolling  furiously  with  floating  ice,  forbad  the  approach  of  man.  Wash 
ington,  self-collected,  viewed  the  tremendous  scene :  his  country  called ; 
unappalled  by  surrounding  dangers,  he  passed  to  the  hostile  shore ; 
he  fought;  he  conquered.  The  morning  sun  cheered  the  American 
world.  Our  country  rose  on  the  event;  an^  h^r  dauntless  ThiVf  p'ir- 
gjiincr  hie  Klr>w^  rprriplpted  in  the  lawns  of  Princeton,  what  his  vast 
.soul  had  conceived  on  the  shores  of  Delaware. 

Thence  to  the  strong  grounds  of  Morristown  he  led  his  small  but 
gallant  band;  and  through  an  eventful  winter,  by  the  high  efforts  of 
his  genius,  whose  matchless  force  was  measurable  only  by  the  growth 
of  difficulties,  he  held  in  check  formidable  hostile  legions,  conducted 
by  a  chief  experienced  in  the  art  of  war,  and  famed  for  his  valour  on 
the  ever-memorable  heights  of  Abraham,  where  fell  Wolfe,  Montcalm, 
and  since  our  much-lamented  Montgomery — all  covered  with  glory. 


HENRY  LEE.  65 


In  this  fortunate  interval,  produced  by  his  masterly  conduct,  our 
fathers,  ourselves,  animated  by  his  resistless  example,  rallied  around 
our  country's  standard,  and  continued  to  follow  her  beloved  Chief 
through  the  various  and  trying  scenes  to  which  the  destinies  of  our 
union  led. 

Who  is  there  that  has  forgotten  the  vales  of  Brandywine — the 
fields  of  Germantown — or  the  plains  of  Monmouth?  Every  where 
present,  wants  of  every  kind  obstructing,  numerous  and  valiant  armies 


encountering,  him: 

privations,  and  up] 

Ithe  spread  of  the  fi 


elf  a  host,  he  assuaged  our  sufferings,  limited  our 
eld  our  tottering  Republic.  Shall  I  display  to  you 
"e  of  his  soul,  by  rehearsing  the  praises  of  the  Hero 


of  Saratoga,  and  his  much  lov'd  compeer  of  the  Carolinas?  No!  our 
Washington  wears  not  borrowed  glory:  To  Gates — to  Greene — he 
gave  without  reserve  the  applause  due  to  their  eminent  merit;  and 
long  may  the  Chiefs  of  Saratoga,  and  of  Eutaws,  receive  the  grateful 
respect  of  a  grateful  people. 

Moving  iji  his  own  orbit,  he  imparted  heat  and  light  to  his  most 
distant  satellites;  and  combining  the  physical  and  moral  force  of  all 
within  his  spnere,  with  irresistible  weight  he  took  his  course,  com 
miserating  folly,  disdaining  vice,  dismaying  treason,  and  invigorating 
despondency;  until  the  auspicious  hour  arrived,  when,  united  with  the 
intrepid  forces  of  a  potent  and  magnanimous  ally,  he  brought  to  sub 
mission  the  since  conquerer  of  India;  thus  finishing  his  long  career  of 
military  glory  with  a  lustre  corresponding  to  his  great  name,  and  in 
this  his  last  act  of  war  affixing  the  seal  of  fate  to  our  nation's  birth. 

To  the  horrid  din  of  battle  sweet  peace  succeeded;  and  our  virtu 
ous  Chief,  mindful  only  of  the  common  good,  in  a  moment  tempting 
9 


66  HENRY  LEE. 


personal  aggrandizement,  hushed  the  discontents  of  growing  sedition ; 
and,  surrendering  his  power  into  the  hands  from  which  he  had  received 
it,  converted  his  sword  into  a  ploughshare;  teaching  an  admiring 
world  that  to  be  truly  great,  you  must  be  truly  gpod. 

Were  I  to  stop  here,  the  picture  would  be  incomplete,  and  the 
task  imposed  unfinished — Great  as  was  our  Washington  in  war,  and 
as  much  as  did  that  greatness  contribute  to  produce  the  American 
Republic,  it  is  not  in  war  alone  his  pre-eminence  stands  conspicuous : 
His  various  talents,  combining  all  the  capacities  of  a  statesman  with 
those  of  a  soldier,  fitted  him  alike  to  guide  the  councils  and  the  armies 
of  our  nation.  Scarcely  had  he  rested  from  his  martial  toils,  while  his 
invaluable  parental  advice  was  still  sounding  in  our  ears,  when  he  who 
had  been  our  shieljd  and  our  sword,  was  called  forth*  to  act  a  less 
splendid  but  more  important  part. 

Possessing  a  clear  and  penetrating  mind,  a  strong  and  sound 
judgment,  calmness  and  temper  for  deliberation,  with  invincible  firm 
ness  and  perseverance  in  resolutions  maturely  formed,  drawing  infor 
mation  from  all,  acting  from  himself,  with  incorruptible  integrity_and 
unvarying  pa|rir>Hgm  :  his  own  superiority  and  the  public  confidence 
alike  marked  him  as  the  man  designed  by  heaven  to  lead  in  the  great 
political  as  well  as  military  events  which  have  distinguished  the  era  of 
his  life. 

The  finger  of  an  over-ruling  Providence,  pointing  at  Washington, 
was  neither  mistaken  nor  unobserved ;  when,  to  realize  the  vast  hopes 


to  which  our  revolution  had  given  birth,  a  change 


became  indispensable. 

How  novel,  how  grand  the  spectacle !   Independent  States  stretched 


of  political  system 


HENRY  LEE.  67 


over  an  immense  territory,  and  known  only  by  common  difficulty, 
clinging  to  their  union  as  the  rock  of  their  safety,  deciding  by  frank 
comparison  of  their  relative  condition,  to  rear  on  that  rock,  under  the 
guidance  of  reason,  a  common  government;  through  whose  command 
ing  protection,  liberty  and  order,  with  their  long  train  of  blessings, 
should  be  safe  to  themselves,  and  the  sure  inheritance  of  their  posterity. 

This  arduous  task  devolved  on  citizens  selected  by  the  people, 
from  knowledge  of  their  wisdom  and  confidence  in  their  virtue.  In 
this  august  assembly  of  sages  and  of  patriots,  Washington  of  course 
was  found;  and,  as  if  acknowledged  to  be  most  wise,  where  all  were 
wise,  with  one  voice  he  was  declared  their  Chief.  How  well  he  merited 
this  rare  distinction,  how  faithful  were  the  labours  of  himself  and  his 
compatriots,  the  work  of  their  hands  and  our  union,  strength  and  pros 
perity,  the  fruits  of  that  work,  best  attest. 

But  to  have  essentially  aided  in  presenting  to  his  country  this 
consummation  of  her  hopes,  neither  satisfied  the  claims  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  on  his  talents,  nor  those  duties  which  the  possession  of  those 
talents  imposed.  Heaven  had  not  infused  into  his  mind  such  an  un 
common  share  of  its  etherial  spirit  to  remain  unemployed,  nor  bestowed 
on  him  his  genius  unaccompanied  with  the  corresponding  duty  of  de 
voting  it  to  the  common  good.  To  have  framed  a  constitution,  was 
shewing  only,  without  realizing,  the  general  happiness.  This  great 
work  remained  to  be  done;  and  America,  steadfast  in  her  preference, 
with  one  voice  summoned  her  beloved  Washington,  unpractised  as  he 
was  in  the  duties  of  civil  administration,  to  execute  this  last  act  in  the 
completion  of  the  national  felicity.  Obedient  to  her  call,  he  assumed 
the  high  office  with  that  self-distrust  [peculiar  to  his  innate  modesty, 


68  HENRY  LEE. 


the  constant  attendant  of  pre-eminent  virtue.  What  was  the  burst  of 
joy  through  our  anxious  land  on  this  exhilerating  event  is  known  to 
us  all.  The  aged,  the  young,  the  brave,  the  fair,  rivalled  each  other  in 
demonstrations  of  their  gratitude;  and  this  high-wrought  delightful 
scene  was  heightened  in  its  effect,  by  the  singular  contest  between  the 
zeal  of  the  bestowers  and  the  avoidance  of  the  receiver  of  the  honours 
bestowed.  Commencing  his  administration, — what  heart  is  not  charmed 
with  the  recollection  of  the  pure  and  wise  principles  announced  by 
himself,  as  the  basis  of  his  political  life.  He  best  understood  the  in 
dissoluble  union  between  virtue  and  happiness,  between  duty  and  ad 
vantage,  between  the  genuine  maxims  of  an  honest  and  magnanimous 
policy,  and  the  solid  rewards  of  public  prosperity  and  individual  felicity; 
watching  with  an  equal  and  comprehensive  eye  over  this  great  assem 
blage  of  communities  and  interests,  h^Jaid  th£ 


fional    pnliry  in    tl?p    unprn'ng   immiifahlp  prmn'plps    r>f  mnrality  haped 

an  religion ;  ^v^Trtplifying  f^p  pr^-^rm'np.nrg  nf  n  frof  gnynrnrnont7  by 
all  the  attributes 
the  respect  of  the 


which  win  the  affections  of  its  citizens,  or  command 
world. 


"O  fortunatus  nimium,  sua  si  bona  norint!" 

Leading  through  the  complicated  difficulties  produced  by  pre 
vious  obligations  and  conflicting  interests,  seconded  by  succeeding 
Houses  of  Congress  enlightened  and  patriotic,  he  surmounted  all  orig 
inal  obstruction,  and  brightened  the  path  of  our  national  felicity. 

The  Presidential  term  expiring,  his  solicitude  to  exchange  exalta 
tion  for  humility  returned  with  a  force  increased  with  increase  of  age; 
and  he  had  prepared  his  farewell  address  to  his  countrymen,  proclaim- 


HENRY  LEE.  69 


ing  his  intention,  when  the  united  interposition  of  all  around  him,  en 
forced  by  the  eventful  prospects  of  the  epoch,  produced  a  further  sac 
rifice  of  inclination  to  duty.  The  election  of  President  followed,  and 
Washington,  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  nation,  was  called  to  re 
sume  the  Chief  Magistracy.  What  a  wonderful  fixture  of  confidence! 
which  attracts  most  our  admiration,  a  people  so  correct,  or  a  citizen 
combining  an  assemblage  of  talents  forbidding  rivalry,  and  stifling 
even  envy  itself!  Such  a  nation  ought  to  be  happy;  such  a  chief  must 
be  for  ever  revered. 

War,  long  menaced  by  the  Indian  tribes,  now  broke  out;  and  the 
terrible  conflict,  deluging  Europe  with  blood,  began  to  shed  its  bane 
ful  influence  over  our  happy  land.  To  the  first,  outstretching  his  in 
vincible  arm,  under  the  orders  of  the  gallant  Wayne,  the  American 
Eagle  soared  triumphant  through  distant  forests.  Peace  followed  vic 
tory;  and  the  melioration  of  the  condition  of  the  enemy  followed 
peace — Godlike  virtue,  which  uplifts  even  the  subdued  savage ! 

To  the  second,  he  opposed  himself.  New  and  delicate  was  the 
conjuncture,  and  great  was  the  stake.  Soon  did  his  penetrating  mind 
discern  and  seize  the  only  course,  continuing  to  us  all  the  felicity  en 
joyed.  He  issued  his  proclamation  of  neutrality.  This  index  to  his 
whole  subsequent  conduct  was  sanctioned  by  the  approbation  of  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  and  by  the  approving  voice  of  the  people. 

To  this  sublime  policy  he  inviolably  adhered,  unmoved  by  foreign 
intrusion,  unshaken  by  domestic  turbulence. 

"Justum  et  tenacem  propositi  virum, 
Non  civium  ardor  prava  jubentium, 
Non  vultus  instantis  tyranni, 
Mente  quatit  solida." 


HENRY  LEE. 


Maintaining  his  pacific  system  at  the  expense  of  no  duty,  America, 
faithful  to  herself,  and  unstained  in  her  honour,  continued  to  enjoy  the 
delights  of  peace,  while  afflicted  Europe  mourns  in  every  quarter  under 
the  accumulated  miseries  of  an  unexampled  war;  miseries  in  which 
our  happy  country  must  have  shared,  had  not  our  pre-eminent  Wash 
ington  been  as  firm  in  council  as  he  was  brave  in  the  field. 

Pursuing  steadfastly  his  course,  he  held  safe  the  public  happiness, 
preventing  foreign  war,  and  quelling  internal  discord,  till  the  revolving 
period  of  a  third  election  approached,  when  he  executed  his  interrupted 
but  inextinguishable  desire  of  returning  to  the  humble  walks  of  private 
life. 

The  promulgation  of  his  fixed  resolution  stopped  the  anxious 
wishes  of  an  affectionate  people,  from  adding  a  third  unanimous  testi 
monial  of  their  unabated  confidence  in  the  man  so  long  enthroned  in 
their  hearts.  When  before  was  affection  like  this  exhibited  on  earth? 
— Turn  over  the  records  of  ancient  Greece — Review  the  annals  of 
mighty  Rome — Examine  the  volumes  of  modern  Europe  ; — you  search 
in  vain. — America  and  her  Washington  only  afford  the  dignified  exem 
plification. 

The  illustrious  personage  called  by  the  national  voice  in  succes 
sion  to  the  arduous  office  of  guiding  a  free  people,  had  new  difficulties 
to  encounter:  The  amicable  effort  of  settling  our  difficulties  with 
France,  begun  by  Washington,  and  pursued  by  his  successor  in  virtue 
as  in  station,  proving  abortive,  America  took  measures  of  self-defence. 

No  sooner  was  the  public  mind  roused  by  a  prospect  of  danger, 
than  every  eye  was  turned  to  the  friend  of  all,  though  secluded  from 
public  view,  and  grey  in  public  service.  The  virtuous  veteran,  follow- 


HENRY  LEE.  71 


ing  his  plough,  received  the  unexpected  summons  with  mingled  emo 
tions  of  indignation  at  the  unmerited  ill-treatment  of  his  country,  and 
of  a  determination  once  more  to  risk  his  all  in  her  defence. 

The  annunciation  of  these  feelings,  in  his  affecting  letter  to  the 
President,  accepting  the  command  of  the  army,  concludes  his  official 
conduct. 

First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  country 
men,  he  was  second  to  none  in  the  humble  and  endearing  scenes  of 
private  life:  Pious,  just,  humane,  temperate,  and  sincere;  uniform,  dig 
nified,  and  commanding;  his  example  was  as  edifying  to  all  around 
him  as  were  the  effects  of  that  example  lasting. 

To  his  equals  he  was  condescending;  to  his  inferiors  kind;  and 
to  the  dear  object  of  his  affections  exemplarily  tender  ^X^ixeeLthrougJi- 
out,  vice  shuddered  in  his  presence,  and  virtue  always  felt  his  fostering 
hand:  the  purity  of  his  private  character  gave  effulgence  to  his  public 
virtues. 

His  last  scene  comported  with  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life:  Al 
though  in  extreme  pain,  not  a  sigh,  not  a  groan  escaped  him;  and 
with  undisturbed  serenity  he  closed  his  well-spent  life.  Such  was  the 
man  America  has  lost! — Such  was  the  man  for  whom  our  nation 
mourns! 

Methinks  I  see  his  august  image,  and  hear,  falling  from  his  vener 
able  lips,  these  deep-sinking  words : 

"Cease,  sons  of  America,  lamenting  our  separation:  Go  on,  and 
confirm  by  your  wisdom  the  fruits  of  our  joint  councils,  joint  efforts, 
and  common  dangers.  Reverence  religion ;  diffuse  knowledge  through 
out  your  land;  patronize  the  arts  and  sciences;  let  Liberty  and  Order 


72  HENRY  LEE. 


be  inseparable  companions;  control  party-spirit,  the  bane  of  free  gov 
ernment;  observe  good  faith  to,  and  cultivate  peace  with,  all  nations; 
,shut_up_eye_ry  ayenue_  to  foreign  influence;  contract  rather  than  extend 
national  connexion;  rely  on  yourselves  only — be  Amgricanjn^th^ught 
and  deed.  Thus  will  you  give  immortality  to  that  union,  which  was 


the  constant  object  of  my  terrestrial  labours :  Thus  will  you  preserve 
undisturbed,  to  the  latest  posterity,  the  felicity  of  a  people  to  me  most 
dear;  and  thus  will  you  supply  (if  my  happiness  is  now  aught  to  you) 
the  only  vacancy  in  the  round  of  pure  bliss  high  Heaven  bestows." 


HENRY  LEE  was  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Va.,  January  2gth,  1756,  and  died  on 
Cumberland  Island,  Georgia,  March  25th,  1818.  Hs  graduated  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in 
X773>  was  a  Captain  of  Eland's  cavalry  in  1776,  and  joined  the  main  army  in  September,  1777. 
In  1778  he  was  made  a  major,  and  joined  the  Southern  army  in  January,  1781,  as  lieutenant- 
colonel.  In  1786  he  was  a  delegate  to  Congress,  and  in  1792  was  made  Governor  of  Virginia. 
He  was  much  beloved  by  Washington,  and  gained  honorable  distinction  in  every  post  he  was 
called  to.  While  a  member  of  Congress  in  1799,  he  delivered  the  oration  which  we  reprint 
entire,  and  in  which  occurs  the  celebrated  phrase,  "  First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  for  the  utterance  of  which  he  will  always  be  remembered.  These 
words  were,  however,  first  used  in  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives, 
December  igth,  1 799,  on  the  death  of  Washington,  (p.  56,)  which  although  offered  by  John  Mar 
shall,  were  really  prepared  by  Mr.  Lee.  The  oration  was  published  with  the  title,  "A  funeral 
oration  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  George  Washington,  late  General  of  th«  Armies  of  the 
United  States,  prepared  and  delivered  at  the  request  of  Congress,  at  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  Philadelphia,  on  Thursday,  the  26th  December,  1799,  by  Major  General  Henry  Lee." 
4to,  pp.  20,  Philadelphia,  1800,  with  an  allegorical  plate  engraved  by  Trenchard  &  Weston. 
Many  editions  were  printed  in  8vo.,  among  which  were  those  of  Brooklyn,  Boston,  London, 
Portsmouth  and  Philadelphia. 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS. 

1799. 

BORN  to  high  destinies,  he  was  fashioned  for  them  by  the  hand  of 
nature.  His  form  was  noble — his  port  majestic.  On  his  front  were 
enthroned  the  virtues  which  exalt,  and  those  which  adorn  the  human 
character.  So  dignified  his  deportment,  no  man  could  approach  him 
but  with  respect — none  was  great  in  his  presence.  You  all  have  seen 
him,  and  you  all  have  felt  the  reverence  hp  inspired ;  it  was  such,  that 
to  command,  seemed  in  him  but  the  exercise  of  an  ordinary  function, 
while  others  felt  a  duty  to  obey,  which  (anterior  to  the  injunctions  of 
civil  ordinance,  or  the  compulsion  of  a  military  code)  was  imposed  by 
the  high  behests  of  nature. 

He  had  every  title  to  command — Heaven,  in  giving  him  the 
higher  qualities  of  the  soul,  had  given  also  the  tiiP'mT<'1irmA- f^^"""1^ 
which  accompany  greatness,  and  frequently  tarnish  its  lustre.  With 
them  was  his  first  contest,  and  his  first  victory  w^g  r""ar  hirPgpJ/  So 
great  the  empire  he  had  there  acquired,  that  calmness  of  manner  and 
of  conduct  distinguished  him  through  life.  Yet,  those  who  have,  seen 
him  strongly  moved,  will  bear  witness  that  his  wrath  was  terrible: 
they  have  seen  boiling  in  his  bosom,  passion  almost  too  mighty  for 
man;  yet,  when  jjust  bursting  into  act,  that  strong  passion  was  con 
trolled  by  his  strqnger  mind. 

Having  thus  a  perfect  command  of  himself,  he  could  rely  on  the 
10  (73) 


74 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS. 


full  exertion  of  his  powers,  in  whatever  direction  he  might  order  them 
to  act.  He  was  therefore  clear,  decided  and  unembarrassed  by  any 
consideration  of  himself.  Such  consideration  did  not  even  dare  to  in 
trude  on  his  reflections.  H£TLC^  it"  wag,  that"  he  bHh^  n^*"  r>n^y_fh^ 
affairs  that  were  passing  around  him,  but  thoseal§QJtt--wht€h  he  was 
personally  engaged,  with  the  coolness  of  ah— nncnncerngd  spectator. 
They  were  to  him  as  events  historically  recorded.  His  judgment  was 
always  clear,  because  his  mind  was  pure.  And  seldom,  if  ever,  will 
sj?und  understanding  be  met  with  in  the  company  of  a  corrupt  heart. 
In  the  strength  of  judgment  lay,  indeed,  one  chief  excellence  of 
his  character.  T. ggving  fr>  f^Kipr  mjnHc  that  gpl^ndor.  ..nf  genin^ 

which,  while    it    enlightens  nfherg    tr>n  r>ffpn    Ha7?1pc:  fh^  pnggpggnr  •    he 

knew  how  best  to  use  the  rays  which  genius  might  emit,  and  carry 
into  act  its  best  conceptions. 

So  modest,  he  wished  not  to  attract  attention,  but  observed  in 
silence,  and  saw  deep  into  the  human  heart.  Of  a  thousand  proposi 
tions  he  knew  to  distinguish  the  best;  and  to  select  among  a  thousand 
the  man  most  fitted  for  his  purpose.  If  ever  he  was  deceived  in  his 
choice,  it  was  by  circumstances  of  social  feeling  which  did  honor  to 
his  heart.  Should  it,  therefore,  in  the  review  of  his  conduct,  appear 
that  he  was  merely  not  infallible,  the  few  errors  which  fell  to  his  lot, 
as  a  man,  will  claim  the  affections  of  his  fellow  men.  Pleased  with  the 
rare,  but  graceful  weakness,  they  will  admire  that  elevation  of  soul, 
which,  superior  to  resentment,  gave  honor  and  power,  with  liberal 
hand,  to  those  by  whom  he  had  been  offended.  Not  to  conciliate  a 
regard,  which,  if  it  be  venal,  is  worth  no  price;  but  to  Id  raw  forth  in 
your  service  the  exercise  of  talents,  which  he  could  duty  estimate,  in 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS.  75 

spitejof  incidents  by  which  a  weaker  mind  could  have  been  thrown 
from 'its  bias. 

In  him  were  the  courage  of  a  soldier,  the  intrepidity  of  a  chief, 
the  fortitude  of  a  hero.  He  had  given  to  the  impulsions  of  bravery  all 
the  calmness  of  his  character,  and,  if  in  the  moment  of  danger,  his 
manner  was  distinguishable  from  that  of  common  life,  it  was  by  supe 
rior  ease  and  grace. 

To  each  desire  he  had  taught  the  lessons  of  moderation.  Pru 
dence  became  therefore  the  companion  of  his  life.  Never  in  the  public, 
never  in  the  private  hour,  did  she  abandon  him  even  for  a  moment. 
And,  if  in  the  small  circle,  where  he  might  safely  think  aloud,  she 
should  have  slumbered  amid  convivial  joy,  his  quick  sense  of  what 
was  just,  and  decent,  and  fit,  stood  ever  ready  to  awaken  her  at  the 
slightest  alarm. 

Knowing  how  to  appreciate  the  world,  its  gifts  and  glories,  he 
was  truly  wise.  Wise  also  in  selecting  the  objects  of  his  pursuit. 
And  wise  in  adopting  just  means  to  compass  honorable  ends. 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS  was  born  at  Morrisania,  New  York,  January  3ist,  1752,  and 
died  there,  November  6th,  1816.  He  graduated  at  King's  (now  Columbia)  College,  in  1768, 
studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1771,  and  soon  attained  great  reputation.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  1777-80,  occupied  many  prominent  public  positions 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  published  a  number  of  political  pamphlets,  orations,  etc.  Our 
extract  is  from  "  An  oration  on  the  death  of  General  Washington,  delivered  at  the  request  of 
the  Corporation  of  the  City  of  New  York,  December  31,  1799,  and  published  at  their  request, 
by  Gouverneur  Morris."  8vo,  pp.  24.  New  York,  1800.  Reprinted  in  Washingtoniana . 
Lancaster,  1802,  and  in  Washingtoniana,  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1865. 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 

1799. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  in  his  person  was  tall,  upright,  and  well 
made  ;  in  his  manners  easy  and  unaffected.  His  eyes  were  of  a  bluish 
cast,  not  prominent,  indicative  of  deep  thoughtfulness,  and  when  in 
action,  on  great  occasions  remarkably  lively.  His  features  strong, 
manly,  and  commanding;  his  temper  reserved  and  serious ;  his  counte 
nance  grave,  composed,  and  sensible.  There  was  in  his  whole  appear 
ance  an  unusual  dignity  and  gracefulness  which  at  once  secured  for 
him  profound  respect,  and  cordial  esteem.  He  seemed  born  to  com 
mand  his  fellow  men.  In  his  official  capacity  he  received  applicants 
for  favors,  and  answered  their  requests  with  so  much  ease,  condescen 
sion  and  kindness,  as  that  each  retired,  believing  himself  a  favorite  of 
his  chief.  He  had  an  excellent  and  well  cultivated  understanding;  a 
correct,  discerning,  and  comprehensive  mind;  a  memory  remarkably 
retentive;  energetic  passions  under  perfect  control;  a  judgment  sober, 
deliberate,  and  sound.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  honor  and  hon 
esty,  fair  and  honorable  in  his  dealings;  and  punctual  to  his  engage 
ments.  His  disposition  was  mild,  kind,  and  generous.  Candour,  sin 
cerity,  moderation,  and  simplicity,  were,  in  common,  prominent  feat 
ures  in  his  character ;  but  when  an  occasion  called,  he  was  capable  of 
displaying  the  most  determined  bravery,  firmness,  and  independence. 
He  was  an  affectionate  husband,  a  faithful  friend,  a  humane  master, 
(76) 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE.  77 


and  a  father  to  the  poor.*  He  lived  in  the  unvarying  habits  of  regu 
larity,  temperance,  and  industry.  He  steadily  rose  at  the  dawn  of 
day,  and  retired  to  rest  usually  at  9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  in 
termediate  hours  all  had  their  proper  business  assigned  them.  In  his 
allotments  for  the  revolving  hours,  religion  was  not  forgotten.  Feel 
ing,  what  he  so  often  publicly  acknowledged,  his  entire  dependence 
on  God,  he  daily,  at  stated  seasons,  retired  to  his  closet,  to  worship  at 
his  footstool,  and  to  ask  his  divine  blessing.  He  was  remarkable  for 
his  strict  observation  of  the  sabbath,  and  exemplary  in  his  attendance 
on  public  worship. 

Of  his  faith  in  the  truth  and  excellence  of  the  holy  scriptures,  he 
gave  evidence,  not  only  by  his  excellent  and  most  exemplary  life,  but 
in  his  writings ;  especially  when  he  ascribes  the  meliorated  condition 
of  mankind,  and  the  increased  blessings  of  society,  "above  all,  to  the 
PURE  and  benign  light  ^/"REVELATION;"  and  when  he  offers  to  GOD  his 
earnest  prayer,  "  that  he  would  most  graciously  be  pleased  to  dispose 
us  all  to  do  justice,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  demean  ourselves  with  that 
charity,  humility,  and  pacific  temper  of  mind,  which  were  the  charac 
teristics  of  the  DIVINE  AUTHOR  OF  OUR  BLESSED  RELIGION  ;  without 
an  humble  imitation  of  whose  example,  in  these  things,  we  can  never 
hope  to  be  a  happy  nation."  t  In  an  address  to  him,  immediately  after 
he  commenced  his  Presidency  over  the  United  States,  from  a  venerable 
and  respectable  body  of  men,  who  were  in  the  best  situation  to  know 
his  religious  character,  and  who,  no  doubt,  expressed  what  they  knew, 


*  Compare  John  Bell,  pp.  12,  13.     ED. 

t  See  his  Farewell  Orders  to  the  Armies  of  the  United  States,  dated  Rocky  Hill,  near 
Princeton,  Nov.  2d,  1783. 


78  JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 


is  the  following  testimony  to  his  faith  in  Christianity.  "  But  we  de 
rive  a  presage,"  say  they,  "even  more  flattering,  from  the  piety  of  your 
character.  Public  virtue  is  the  most  certain  means  of  public  felicity; 
and  religion  is  the  surest  basis  of  virtue.  We  therefore  esteem  it  a 
peculiar  happiness  to  behold  in  our  Chief  Magistrate,  a  steady,  uniform, 
AVOWED  friend  of  the  Christian  religion;  who  has  commenced  his  ad 
ministration  in  rational  and  exalted  sentiments  of  piety,  and  who,  in 
his  private  conduct,  adorns  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 
Grounded  on  these  pure  and  excellent  doctrines,  to  which  his  life  was 
so  conformable ;  copying,  as  he  did,  with  such  exemplary  strictness 
and  uniformity,  the  precepts  of  Christ,  we  have  strong  consolation  and 
joy  in  believing,  that  ere  this,  he  has  heard  from  his  God  and  Saviour, 
this  enrapturing  sentence,  Well  done  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
into  the  joy  of  your  Lord. 

What  a  blessing  to  the  world,  what  an  honour  to  human  nature, 
is  a  character  thus  "throughout  sublime?"  What  a  bright  exemplar 
for  kings,  for  princes,  for  rulers  of  every  name,  for  warriors,  for  far 
mers,  for  Christians,  for  mankind?  Thanks  be  to  God  for  so  rich  a 
gift;  praise  to  his  name  for  bestowing  it  on  our  nation,  and  thus  dis 
tinguishing  it  above  all  others  on  the  globe,  and  let  all  the  PEOPLE  OF 
COLUMBIA,  WITH  ONE  VOICE,  SAY  AMEN. 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Woodstock,  Conn.,  August  23d,  1761,  and  died  at 
New  Haven,  June  gth,  1826.  He  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1783,  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1785,  and  installed  minister  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  Charlestown,  Mass.,  in  1789, 
which  he  resigned  in  1820.  The  "  Biographical  Sketch  of  Gen.  George  Washington,"  from 
which  the  above  extract  is  made,  was  published  with  "  A  Prayer  and  Sermon  delivered  at 
Charlestown,  Dec.  3ist,  1799,  on  the  death  of  George  Washington,  late  President  and  Com- 


JEDIDIAH  MORSE.  79 

mander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States  of  America,  with  an  additional  sketch  of 
his  life,  by  Rev.  Jedidiah  Morse."  8vo,  pp.  82,  Charlestown,  1800.  Reprinted  in  London  by 
J.  Bateson,  1800;  also  in  IVashingtoniana,  Baltimore,  1800,  the  Memory  of  Washington, 
Newport,  R.  I.,  1800,  and  Washington 's  Political  Legacies,  New  York,  1800.  Dr.  Morse 
had  previously  given  in  the  first  edition  of  his  "American  Geography,"  Elizabeth-Town,  N. 
J.,  1789,  a  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  Washington,  portions  of  which  referring  to  his  habits  and 
daily  life  at  Mount  Vernon,  will  be  found  on  page  30. 


SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH. 

1800. 

HISTORIANS  shall  immortalize  their  page  with  the  name  of  Wash 
ington;  and  future  orators  shall  quote  it  with  the  names  of  Epaminon- 
das,  of  Aristides  and  of  Cato,  to  illuminate  their  discourse,  and  to  en 
force,  by  great  examples,  the  virtues  of  a  disinterested  and  heroic 
patriotism.  But  his  most  lasting,  and  most  noble  monument  shall  be 
the  affections  of  his  countrymen,  who  will  transmit  their  admiration 
of  him  as  our  increasing  inheritance  to  their  latest  posterity.  *  *  *  * 

In  whom  have  ever  shone  with  more  splendor  the  talents  of  war, 
in  creating  an  army;  in  successfully  maintaining  himself  in  the  face  of 
a  superior  enemy;  in  inspiring  with  courage  raw  troops;  in  attaching 
soldiers  to  order  and  their  country  in  the  midst  of  extreme  hardships, 
and  the  injustice  of  their  country  itself;  in  seizing  victories  by  an 
enterprising  bravery,  when  enterprise  was  safe  for  the  republic,  or  in 
conducting  retreats  that  gained  him  no  less  glory  than  victories;  in 
vanquishing  his  enemies  by  a  firm  undaunted  courage,  or  consuming 
and  wasting  them  away  by  a  wise  and  noble  patience?  Where  can  we 
find  a  conqueror  so  humble,  so  disinterested,  so  devoted  solely  to  his 
country — so  serene,  so  sublime  in  adversity — so  modest  in  the  midst 
of  triumphs — in  dangers  so  intrepid  and  calm — and  possessing  such 
control  over  events  by  his  prudence  and  perseverance.  *  *  *  * 

In  private  life  he  was  as  aimable,  as  virtuous,  and  as  great,  as  he 
(80) 


SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH.  81 


appeared  sublime  on  the  public  theatre  of  the  world.  How  many 
conquerors,  renowned  in  history,  have  been  great  only  while  they 
acted  a  conspicuous  part  under  the  observation  of  mankind !  The  soul, 
in  such  a  situation,  perceives  an  artificial  elevation — it  'assumes  the 
sentiments  of  virtue  corresponding  to  the  grandeur  of  the  objects  that 
surround  it.  In  private,  it  subsides  into  itself;  and,  in  the  ordinary 
details  of  life  and  conduct,  the  men,  who  seemed  to  be  raised  above 
others  by  the  splendor  of  some  rare  occasion,  now  sink  below  them, — 
they  are  degraded  by  their  passions, — those  who  were  able  to  com 
mand  armies,  have  lost  the  power  of  self-command — and  when  they 
are  not  heroes,  they  are  nothing.  Washington  was  always  equal  to 
himself.  There  was  a  dignity  in  the  manner  in  which  he  performed 
the  smallest  things.  A  majesty  surrounded  him  that  seemed  to  humble 
those  who  approached  him,  at  the  same  time  that  there  was  a  benignity 
in  his  manners  that  invited  their  confidence  and  esteem.  His  virtues, 
always  elevated  and  splendid,  shone  only  with  a  milder  light  by  being 
placed  in  the  vale  of  retirement.  He  was  sincere,  modest,  upright, 
humane ;  a  friend  of  religion ;  the  idol  of  his  neighbors  as  well  as  of 
his  country;  magnificent  in  his  hospitality,  but  plain  in  his  manners, 
and  simple  in  his  equipage.  And  the  motive  of  these  virtues  we  are 
not  to  seek  in  a  vain  affectation  of  popularity  which  has  often  enabled 
the  cunning  and  the  artful  to  make  great  sacrifices  to  public  opinion, 
but  in  the  native  impulse  and  goodness  of  his  heart.  His  emotions, 
naturally  strong  and  ardent,  as  they  are,  perhaps,  in  all  great  men,  he 
had  completely  subjected  to  the  control  of  reason,  and  placed  under 
the  guard  of  such  vigilant  prudence,  that  he  never  suffered  himself  to 
be  surprised  by  them.  Philosophy  and  religion  in  his  breast  had 
1 1 


82  SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH. 

obtained  a  noble  triumph :  and  his  first  title  to  command  over  others, 
was  his  perfect  command  of  himself.  Such  a  sublime  idea  had  he 
formed  of  man,  that  in  him  you  never  detected  any  of  the  littlenesses 
of  the  passions.  His  consummate  prudence,  which  was  one  of  his 
most  characteristic  qualities,  and  which  never  forsook  him  for  a  mo 
ment,  contributed  to  fix  the  affections  and  the  confidence  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  which  he  had  acquired  by  his  talents.  Eminently  distin 
guished  for  his  conjugal  and  domestic  virtues,  the  perfect  purity  of  his 
private  morals  added  not  a  little  to  that  dignity  of  character  in  which 
he  was  superior  to  all  men.  There  is  a  majesty  in  virtue,  which  com 
mands  the  respect,  even  of  those  who  do  not  love  it,  and  which  gives 
to  great  talents  their  highest  lustre.  *  *  *  * 

His  whole  character  was  consistent.  Equally  industrious  with 
his  plough  as  with  his  sword,  he  esteemed  idleness  and  inutility  the 
greatest  disgrace  of  man,  whose  powers  attain  perfection  only  by  con 
stant  and  vigorous  action,  and  who  is  placed  by  providence  in  so  many 
social  relations,  only  to  do  good.  Every  thing  round  him  was  marked 
with  a  dignified  simplicity.  While  so  many  affect  fastidiously  to  dis 
play  their  wealth  in  sumptuous  edifices,  and  splendid  equipages,  and 
incur  infinitely  more  expense  to  be  envied  and  hated,  than  would  be 
sufficient  to  make  themselves  adored,  his  mansion  was  as  modest  as 
his  heart.  Strangers  from  all  nations,  who  visited  it,  went,  not  to  ad 
mire  a  magnificent  pile,  but  to  gratify  a  noble  curiosity  in  seeing  the 
first  man  in  the  world.  Palaces,  and  columns,  and  porticos,  would 
have  shrunk  beside  him,  and  scarcely  have  been  seen.  Like  the  im 
perial  palace  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  at  Rome,  the  plain  and  modest  walls 
resembled  some  august  temple,  which  has  no  ornament  but  the  deity 


SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH.  83 


that  inhabits  it.  You  approached  it  with  reverence  as  the  retreat  of  a 
hero,  the  venerable  abode  of  all  the  virtues.  He  had  no  need  to  seek 
a  false  glory  by  an  exterior  display  of  magnificence,  who  possessed 
such  intrinsic  worth  and  grandeur  of  soul.  Every  where  he  goes 
without  any  attendants  but  his  virtues — he  travels  without  pomp;  but 
every  one  surrounds  him,  in  imagination,  with  his  victories,  his  tri 
umphs,  his  glorious  toils,  his  public  services.  How  sublime  is  this 
simplicity!  How  superior  to  all  the  fastuous  magnificence  of  luxury! 
Thus  he  lived,  discharging,  without  ostentation,  all  the  civil,  social, 
and  domestic,  offices  of  life — temperate  in  his  desires — faithful  to  his 
duties — retiring  from  fame,  which  every  where  pursued  him — living 
like  a  beneficent  deity  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  its  delight,  and  its 
glory.  *  #  *  # 

Under  his  administration,  the  United  States  enjoyed  prosperity 
and  happiness  at  home,  and,  by  the  energy  of  the  government,  regained 
in  the  old  world,  that  importance  and  reputation  which,  by  its  weak 
ness,  they  had  lost.  Arduous  was  his  task — innumerable  were  the 
difficulties  he  had  to  encounter,  from  the  passions,  the  conflicting  in 
terests,  the  ambition,  and  the  disappointment  of  men.  His  own  virtue, 
and  the  confidence  of  the  nation,  supported  him.  And  amidst  all  the 
clamors  which  the  violence  of  faction,  or  individual  chagrin,  have 
raised  against  the  general  administration,  none  have  ever  dared  to  im 
peach  the  purity  of  his  patriotism,  or  his  incorruptible  integrity.  *  *  *  * 

Behold  then  this  illustrious  man,  no  less  sublime  as  a  statesman, 
than  as  a  warrior?  His  character  is  a  constellation  of  all  the  greatest 
qualities  that  dignify  or  adorn  human  nature.  The  virtues  and  the 
talents  which,  in  other  instances,  are  divided  among  many,  are  com 
bined  in  him. 


84  SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH. 

SAMUEL  STANHOPE  SMITH,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Pequea,  Pa.,  March  16,  1750,  and  died 
at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  August  21,  1819.  He  graduated  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1769, 
and  after  studying  theology  was  ordained  in  1774.  In  1779  he  became  professor  of  moral 
philosophy  at  Princeton,  accepted  in  1783  the  additional  office  of  professor  of  theology,  and 
in  1786  that  of  Vice-President  of  the  college.  In  1795  he  succeeded  his  father-in-law  Dr. 
John  Witherspoon  as  President,  resigning  in  1812.  Our  quotation  is  from  '-An  oration  upon 
the  death  of  General  George  Washington,  delivered  in  the  State  House  at  Trenton,  on  the 
I4thof  January,  1800 ;  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  D.D.,  President  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey ;  and  published  at  the  desire  of  the  committee  of  the  citizens,  etc.,  of  Trenton, 
at  whose  request  it  was  pronounced."  8vo,  pp.  45.  Trenton:  1800.  Reprinted  1817.  Also 
reprinted  in  Washingtoniana,  Lancaster,  1802,  and  in  Washingtoniana,  Roxbury,  Mass., 
1865. 


LONDON    COURIER. 

1800. 

THE  whole  range  of  history  does  not  present  to  our  view  a  character 
upon  which  we  can  dwell  with  such  entire  and  unmixed' admiration. 
The  long  life  of  General  Washington  is  not  stained  by  a  single  blot. 
He  was  indeed  a  man  of  such  rare  endowments,  and  such  fortunate  tem 
perament,  that  every  action  he  performed  was  equally  exempted  from 
the  charge  of  vice  or  weakness.  Whatever  he  said  or  did,  or  wrote, 
was  stamped  with  a  striking  and  peculiar  propriety.  His  qualities 
were  so  happily  blended,  and  so  nicely  harmonized,  that  the  result 
was  a  great  and  perfect  whole.  The  powers  of  his  mind,  and  the  dis 
positions  of  his  heart,  were  admirably  suited  to  each  other.  It  was 
the  union  of  the  most  consummate  prudence  with  the  most  perfect 
moderation.  His  views,  though  large  and  liberal,  were  never  extrava 
gant:  his  virtues,  though  comprehensive  and  beneficent,  were  dis 
criminating,  judicious  and  practical. 

Yet  his  character,  though  regular  and  uniform,  possessed  none  of 
the  littleness  which  may  sometimes  belong  to  these  descriptions  of 
men.  It  formed  a  majestic  pile,  the  effect  of  which  was  not  impaired, 
but  improved  by  order  and  symmetry.  There  was  nothing  in  it  to 
dazzle  by  wildness,  and  surprise  by  eccentricity.  It  was  of  a  higher 
species  of  moral  beauty.  It  contained  everything  great  and  elevated, 

(35) 


86  LONDON  COURIER. 


but  it  had  no  false  and  tinsel  ornament.  It  was  not  the  model  cried 
by  the  fashion  and  circumstance :  its  excellence  was  adapted  to  the 
true  and  just  moral  taste,  incapable  of  change  from  the  varying  acci 
dents  of  manners,  of  opinions  and  times.  General  Washington  is  not 
the  idol  of  a  day,  but  the  hero  of  ages! 

Placed  in  circumstances  of  the  most  trying  difficulty  at  the  com 
mencement  of  the  American  contest,  he  accepted  that  situation  which 
was  preeminent  in  danger  and  responsibility.  His  perseverance  over 
came  every  obstacle;  his  moderation  conciliated  every  opposition ;  his 
genius  supplied  every  resource ;  his  enlarged  view  could  plan,  revise, 
and  improve  every  branch  of  civil  and  military  operation.  He  had 
the  superior  courage  which  can  act  or  forbear  to  act,  as  true  policy 
dictates,  careless  of  the  reproaches  of  ignorance  either  in  power  or  out 
of  power.  He  knew  how  to  conquer  by  waiting,  in  spite  of  obloquy, 
for  the  moment  of  victory;  and  he  merited  true  praise  by  despising 
undeserved  censure.  In  the  most  arduous  moments  of  the  contest, 
his  prudent  firmness  proved  the  salvation  of  the  cause  which  he  sup 
ported. 

His  conduct  was,  on  all  occasions,  guided  by  the  most  pure  disin 
terestedness.  Far  superior  to  low  and  groveling  motives,  he  seemed 
even  to  be  uninfluenced  by  that  ambition,  which  has  justly  been  called 
the  instinct  of  great  souls.  He  acted  ever  as  if  his  country's  welfare, 
and  that  alone,  was  the  moving  spring.  His  excellent  mind  needed 
not  even  the  stimulus  of  ambition,  or  the  prospect  of  fame.  Glory  was 
but  a  secondary  consideration.  He  performed  great  actions,  he  perse 
vered  in  a  course  of  laborious  utility,  with  an  equanimity  that  neither 
sought  distinction,  nor  was  flattered  by  it.  His  reward  was  in  the 


LONDON  COURIER.  87 

consciousness  of  his  own  rectitude,  and  in  the  success  of  Jiis  patriotic 
efforts. 

As  his  elevation  to  the  chief  power  was  the  unbiassed  choice  of  his 
countrymen,  his  exercise  of  it  was  agreeable  to  the  purity  of  its  origin. 
As  he  had  neither  solicited  nor  usurped  dominion,  he  had  neither  to 
contend  with  the  opposition  of  rivals,  nor  the  revenge  of  enemies.  As 
his  authority  was  undisputed,  so  it  required  no  jealous  precautions,  no 
rigorous  severity.  His  government  was  mild  and  gentle;  it  was  bene 
ficent  and  liberal;  it  was  wise  and  just.  His  prudent  administration 
consolidated  and  enlarged  the  dominion  of  an  infant  republic.  In  vol 
untarily  resigning  the  magistracy  which  he  had  filled  with  such  distin 
guished  honor,  he  enjoyed  the  unequalled  satisfaction  of  leaving  to  the 
state  he  had  contributed  to  establish,  the  fruits  of  his  wisdom  and  the 
example  of  his  virtues. 

It  is  some  consolation,  amidst  the  violence  of  ambition  and  the 
criminal  thirst  of  power,  of  which  so  many  instances  occur  around  us, 
to  find  a  character  whom  it  is  honorable  to  admire,  and  virtuous  to 
imitate.  A  conqueror,  for  the  freedom  of  his  country !  A  legislator 
for  its  security!  A  magistrate,  for  its  happiness!  His  glories  were 
never  sullied  by  those  excesses  into  which  the  highest  qualities  are 
apt  to  degenerate.  With  the  greatest  virtues  he  was  exempt  from  the 
corresponding  vices.  He  was  a  man  in  whom  the  elements  were  so 
mixed,  that  "  Nature  might  have  stood  up  to  all  the  world"  and  owned 
him  as  her  work.  His  fame  bounded  by  no  country,  will  be  confined 
to  no  age.  The  character  of  General  Washington,  which  his  cotem- 
poraries  regret  and  admire,  will  be  transmitted  to  posterity;  and  the 
memory  of  his  virtues,  while  patriotism  and  virtue  are  held  sacred 
among  men,  will  remain  undiminished. 


88          ,  LONDON  COURIER. 

THE  preceding  character,  by  an  anonymous  writer,  was  originally  published  in  the  Courier, 
a.  London  paper  of  January  24,  1800.  It  was  subsequently  reprinted  in  this  country,  in 
Washingtoniana,  Baltimore,  1800,  in  the  Memory  of  Washington,  Newport,  R.  I.,  1800,  and 
in  Washingtoniana,  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1865;  it  is  also  quoted  in  the  "Sketch  of  the  Life  of 
Gen.  Washington,"  appended  to  Washingtoniana,  Lancaster,  1 802.  The  first  two  para 
graphs  as  printed  in  the  Courier,  and  in  the  reprints  as  mentioned,  were  adapted  from  the 
first,  second  and  third  paragraphs  of  the  character  by  Isaac  Weld,  given  on  page  50.  They 
have,  therefore,  been  omitted  from  our  quotation. 


FISHER  AMES 

1800. 

THE  best  evidence  of  reputation  is  a  man's  whole  life.  We  have 
now,  alas !  all  Washington's  before  us.  There  has  scarcely  appeared  a 
really  great  man,  whose  character  has  been  more  admired  in  his  life 
time,  or  less  correctly  understood  by  his  admirers.  When  it  is  com 
prehended,  it  is  no  easy  task  to  delineate  its  excellencies  in  such  a 
manner,  as  to  give  to  the  portrait  both  interest  and  resemblance.  For 
it  requires  thought  and  study  to  understand  the  true  ground  of  the 
superiority  of  his  character  over  many  others,  whom  he  resembled  in 
the  principles  of  action,  and  even  in  the  manner  of  acting.  But  per 
haps  he  excels  all  the  great  men  that  ever  lived,  in  the  steadiness  of  his 
adherence  to  his  maxims  of  life,  and  in  the  uniformity  of  all  his  con 
duct  to  the  same  maxims.  These  maxims,  though  wise,  were  yet  not 
so  remarkable  for  their  wisdom,  as  for  their  authority  over  his  life :  for 
if  there  were  any  errors  in  his  judgment,  (and  he  discovered  as  few  as 
any  man)  we  know  of  no  blemishes  in  his  virtue.  He  was  the  patriot 
without  reproach :  he  loved  his  country  well  enough  to  hold  his  suc 
cess  in  serving  it  an  ample  recompense.  Thus  far  self-love  and  love 
of  country  coincided:  but  when  his  country  needed  sacrifices,  that  no 
other  man  could,  or  perhaps  would  be  willing  to  make,  he  did  not 
even  hesitate.  This  was  virtue  in  its  most  exalted  character.  More 
than  once  he  put  his  fame  at  hazard,  when  he  had  reason  to  think  it 

12  (89) 


9o  FISHER  AMES. 


would  be  sacrificed,  at  least  in  this  age.  Two  instances  cannot  be  de 
nied.  When  the  army  was  disbanded ;  and  again,  when  he  stood,  like 
Leonidas,  at  the  pass  of  Thermopylae,  to  defend  our  independence 
against  France. 

It  is  indeed  almost  as  difficult  to  draw  his  character  as  the  por 
trait  of  virtue.  The  reasons  are  similar.  Our  ideas  of  moral  excel 
lence  are  obscure,  because  they  are  complex,  and  we  are  obliged  to 
resort  to  illustrations.  Washington's  example  is  the  happiest  to  shew 
what  virtue  is ;  and  to  delineate  his  character,  we  naturally  expatiate 
on  the  beauty  of  virtue,  much  must  be  felt,  and  much  imagined.  His 
preeminence  is  not  so  .much  to  be  seen  in  the  display  of  any  one  virtue, 
as  in  the  possession  of  them  all,  and  in  the  practice  of  the  most  diffi 
cult.  Hereafter,  therefore,  his  character  must  be  studied  before  it  will 
be  striking;  and  then  it  will  be  admitted  as  a  model;  a  precious  one 
to  a  free  republic. 

It  is  no  less  difficult  to  speak  of  his  talents.  They  were  adapted 
to  lead,  without  dazzling  mankind ;  and  to  draw  forth  and  employ  the 
talents  of  others,  without  being  misled  by  them.  In  this  he  was  cer 
tainly  superior,  that  he  neither  mistook  nor  misapplied  his  own.  His 
great  modesty  and  reserve  would  have  concealed  them,  if  great  occa 
sions  had  not  called  them  forth ;  and  then,  as  he  never  spoke  from  the 
affectation  to  shine,  nor  acted  from  any  sinister  motives,  it  is  from  their 
effects  only  that  we  are  to  judge  of  their  greatness  and  extent.  In 
public  trusts,  where  men,  acting  conspicuously,  are  cautious,  and  in 
those  private  concerns,  where  few  conceal  or  resist  their  weaknesses, 
Washington  was  uniformly  great;  pursuing  right  conduct  from  right 
maxims.  His  talents  were  such  as  assist  a  sound  judgment,  and 


FISHER  AMES.  91 


ripen  with  it.  His  prudence  was  consummate,  and  seemed  to  take  the 
direction  of  his  powers  and  passions ;  for,  as  a  soldier  he  was  more 
solicitous  to  avoid  mistakes  that  might  be  fatal,  than  to  perform  ex 
ploits  that  are  brilliant;  and,  as  a  statesman,  to  adhere  to  just  princi 
ples,  however  old,  than  to  pursue  novelties;  and  therefore  in  both  char 
acters,  his  qualities  were  singularly  adapted  to  the  interest,  and  were 
tried  in  the  greatest  perils  of  the  country.  His  habits  of  enquiry  were 
so  far  remarkable,  that  he  was  never  satisfied  with  investigating,  nor 
desisted  from  it,  so  long  as  he  had  less  than  all  the  light  that  he  could 
obtain  upon  a  subject;  and  then  he  made  his  decision  without  bias. 

This  command  over  the  partialities  that  so  generally  stop  men 
short,  or  turn  them  aside  in  their  pursuit  of  truth,  is  one  of  the  chief 
causes  of  his  unvaried  course  of.  right  conduct  in  so  many  difficult 
scenes,  where  every  human  actor  must  be  presumed  to  err. 

If  he  had  strong  passions,  he  had  learned  to  subdue  them,  and  to 
be  moderate  and  mild.  If  he  had  weaknesses,  he  concealed  them,  which 
is  rare,  and  excluded  them  from  the  government  of  his  temper  and 
conduct,  which  is  still  more  rare.  If  he  loved  fame,  he  never  made 
improper  compliances  for  what  is  called  popularity.  The  fame  he  en 
joyed  is  of  the  kind  that  will  last  forever;  yet  it  was  rather  the  effect, 
than  the  motive,  of  his  conduct.  Some  future  Plutarch  will  search  for 
a  parallel  to  his  character.  Epaminondas  is  perhaps  the  brightest 
name  of  all  antiquity.  Our  Washington  resembled  him  in  the  purity 
and  ardor  of  his  patriotism;  and,  like  him,  he  first  exalted  the  glory 
of  his  country.  There,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  the  parallel  ends :  for,  Thebes 
fell  with  Epaminondas.  But  such  comparisons  cannot  be  pursued  far, 
without  departing  from  the  similitude.  For  we  shall  find  it  as  difficult 


92  FISHER  AMES. 


to  compare  great  men  as  great  rivers.  Some  we  admire  for  the  length 
and  rapidity  of  their  current,  and  the  grandeur  of  their  cataracts ; 
others,  for  the  majestic  silence  and  fullness  of  their  streams.  We  can 
not  bring  them  together  to  measure  the  difference  of  their  waters. 
The  unambitious  life  of  Washington,  declining  fame,  yet  courted  by  it, 
seemed  like  the  Ohio,  to  choose  its  long  way  through  solitudes,  dif 
fusing  fertility;  or  like  his  own  Potomac,  widening  and  deepening  his 
channel,  as  he  approaches  the  sea,  and  displaying  most  the  usefulness 
and  serenity  of  his  greatness  towards  the  end  of  his  course.  Such  a 
citizen  would  do  honor  to  any  country.  The  constant  veneration  and 
affection  of  his  country  will  show,  that  it  was  worthy  of  such  a  citizen. 

However  his  military  fame  may  excite  the  wonder  of  mankind,  it 
is  chiefly  by  his  civil  magistracy  that  his  example  will  instruct  them. 
Great  generals  have  arisen  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  perhaps  most 
in  those  of  despotism  and  darkness.  In  times  of  violence  and  convul 
sion,  they  rise  by  the  force  of  the  whirlwind,  high  enough  to  ride  in  it 
and  direct  the  storm.  Like  meteors,  they  glare  on  the  black  clouds 
with  a  splendor,  that,  while  it  dazzles  and  terrifies,  makes  nothing  visi 
ble  but  the  darkness.  The  fame  of  heroes  is  indeed  growing  vulgar: 
they  multiply  in  every  long  war :  they  stand  in  history,  and  thicken  in 
their  ranks,  almost  as  undistinguished  as  their  own  soldiers. 

But  such  a  Chief  Magistrate  as  Washington  appears  like  the  pole 
star  in  a  clear  sky,  to  direct  the  skilful  statesman.  His  presidency 
will  form  an  epoch,  and  be  distinguished  as  the  age  of  Washington. 
Already  it  assumes  its  high  place  in  the  political  region.  Like  the 
milky  way,  it  whitens  along  its  allotted  portion  of  the  hemisphere.  The 
latest  generations  of  men  will  survey,  through  the  telescope  of  history, 


FISHER  AMES.  93 


the  space  where  so  many  virtues  lend  their  rays,  and  delight  to  sepa 
rate  them  into  groups  and  distinct  virtues.  As  the  best  illustration  of 
them,  the  living  monument,  to  which  the  first  of  patriots  would  have 
chosen  to  consign  his  fame,  it  is  my  earnest  prayer  to  Heaven,  that 
our  country  may  subsist,  even  to  that  late  day,  in  the  plenitude  of  its 
liberty  and  happiness,  and  mingle  its  mild  glory  with  Washington's. 


FISHER  AMES,  a  leading  statesman  and  orator  of  his  time,  was  born  at  Dedham,  Mass., 
April  gth,  1758,  and  died  there  July  4th,  1808.  He  entered  college  (Harvard),  at  the  early 
age  of  twelve,  and  graduated  in  1774;  but  the  poverty  of  his  widowed  mother  compelled  him 
to  teach  school  for  a  livelihood  until  1781,  when  he  began  to  practice  law,  and  soon  displayed 
brilliant  oratorical  powers.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1788,  and  continued  in  that  body 
during  the  whole  of  Washington's  administration,  of  which  he  was  a  zealous  defender.  He 
was  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  eloquent  debater  in  the  house,  and  was  the  author  of  the 
address  of  that  body  to  Washington,  on  his  retirement  from  the  Presidency.  Our  extract  is 
from  "An  oration  on  the  sublime  virtues  of  General  George  Washington,  pronounced  at  the 
Old  South  Meeting  House  in  Boston,  before  his  honor  the  lieutenant  governor,  the  council, 
and  the  two  branches  of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  at  their  request,  on  the  8th  of  Feb 
ruary,  1800,  by  Fisher  Ames."  Svo,  pp.  31,  Boston,  1800;  8vo,  pp.  51,  Philadelphia,  1800- 
Reprinted  in  the  Memory  of  Washington,  Newport,  R.  I.,  1800;  Washingtoniana,  Lancas 
ter,  1802;  and  Washingtoniana,  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1865. 


BRITISH  REGISTER. 

1800. 

ON  December  15,  at  his  seat  in  Virginia,  in  the  68th  year  of  his 
age,  George  Washington,  late  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America;  a  man  superior  to  all  the  titles  which  arrogance  or  servility 
have  invented  for  the  decoration  of  hereditary  rank.  He  was  one  who 
seemed  to  have  been  expressly  formed  by  Providence  for  the  mighty 
work  of  establishing  the  independence  of  a  people,  which  may  one  day 
delight  the  philanthropist  with  the  view  of  as  great  an  assemblage  of 
freemen,  as  Europe  now  contains  of  slaves.  His  firm  band  adapted  to 
all  circumstances  of  fortune,  equally  inaccessible  to  the  flatteries  of 
hope  and  the  suggestions  of  despair,  wa%-kept  steady—by- the— grnnd 
principles  of  pure  love  to  lrrs~counTry,  and  a  religious  aLlailmient  to 
moral  duty.  He  was  one  of  those  truly  great  men,  who  can  be  cool 
without  phlegm,  dispassionate  without  indifference — who,  constantly 
intent  upon  an  important  end,  are  little  moved  by  the  vicissitudes 
and  fluctuations  in  the  means  which  lead  to  it.  In  him,  even  fame, 
glory,  reputation,  were  subordinate  considerations  to  the  successful 
performance  of  the  high  task  assigned  him;  and  he  could  without  im 
patience  wait  for  that  reward  of  public  applause  and  gratitude,  which 
was  all  he  desired  for  services  beyond  the  power  of  estimate.  In  his 
character  were  renewed  all  the  qualities  we  most  admire  in  the  noblest 
names  of  antiquity.  Timoleon,  Aristides,  Camillus,  Fabius,  did  not 
94 


BRITISH  REGISTER.  95 


surpass  him  in  fortitude,  prudence,  disinterestedness,  and  integrity. 
No  one  ever  more  effectually  united  decisive  firmness,  with  that  lenity 
which  flows  from  true  benevolence.  No  one  ever  passed  through  the 
ordeal  of  power  and  influence  more  free  from  the  remotest  suspicion 
of  selfish  and  ambitious  designs.  To  have  passed  unsullied  through 
such  a  career  of  glory  and  usefulness,  is  so  high  and  rare  a  blessing, 
that  regret  for  his  loss  will  probably,  in  those  minds  which  are  warmed 
by  a  sense  of  exalted  virtue,  be  sunk  in  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
another  illustrious  name  placed  beyond  all  danger  of  human  infirmity. 


THE  above  admirable  obituary,  is  taken  from  the  Monthly  Magazine  or  British  Register, 
for  January,  1800.  In  the  March  and  May  Nos.  of  the  same  publication,  a  "Biographical 
sketch  of  George  Washington,  late  President  of  the  United  States  of  America,"  also  by  an 
anonymous  writer,  contains  the  following.  "His  character  is  surrounded  with  no  glare. 
There  is  little  in  it  to  dazzle.  It  has  nothing  to  gratify  those,  who  relish  only  that  irregular 
and  monstrous  greatness,  which  fascinates  the  vulgar  of  all  ranks  and  in  all  times.  But  those 
whose  mental  taste  is  most  pure,  will  always  admire  in  George  Washington,  the  nearest  ap 
proach  to  uniform  propriety,  and  perfect  blamelessness,  which  has  ever  been  attained  by  man, 
or  which  is  perhaps  compatible  with  the  condition  of  humanity." 


LOUIS  FONTANES. 

1800. 

France,  unbiassed  by  those  narrow  prejudices  which  exist  between 
nations,  and  admiring  virtue  wherever  it  be  found,  decrees  this  tribute 
of  respect  to  the  manes  of  Washington.  At  this  moment  she  con 
tributes  to  the  discharge  of  a  debt  due  by  two  nations.  No  govern 
ment,  whatever  form  it  bears,  or' whatever  opinion  it  holds,  can  refuse 
its  respect  to  this  great  father  of  liberty.  The  people  who  so  lately 
stigmatized  Washington  as  a  rebel,  regard  even  the  enfranchisement 
of  America,  as  one  of  the  events  consecrated  by  history  and  past  ages. 
Such  is  the  veneration  excited  by  great  characters.  He  seems  so  little 
to  belong  to  modern  times,  that  he  imparts  to  us  the  same  vivid  im 
pressions  as  the  most  august  examples  of  antiquity  with  all  that  they 
accomplished.  His  work  is  scarcely  finished  when  it  at  once  attracts 
the  veneration  which  we  freely  accord  to  those  achievements  only  that 
are  consecrated  by  time.  The  American  revolution,  the  contemporary 
of  our  own,  is  fixed  for  ever.  Washington  began  it  with  energy,  and 
finished  it  with  moderation.  He  knew  how  to  maintain  it,  pursuing 
always  the  prosperity  of  his  country;  and  this  aim  alone  can  justify  at 
the  tribunal  of  the  Most  High,  enterprises  so  extraordinary.  *  *  *  * 
Washington  had  not  those  fiery  and  imposing  traits  which  strike 
every  mind:  he  displayed  more  order  and  justice,  than  force  and 
elevation  in  his  ideas.  He  possessed  above  all,  in  a  superior  degree, 
(96) 


LOUIS  FONTANES.  97 


that  quality  which  some  call  vulgar,  but  which  few  possess;  that 
quality  not  less  useful  to  the  government  of  states  than  to  the  conduct 
of  life,  and  which  gives  more  tranquility  than  emotion  to  the  soul,  and 
more  happiness  than  glory  to  those  who  possess  it,  and  to  those  who 
feel  its  effects.  It  is  of  good  sense  that  I  speak;  that  good  sense 
which  pride  has  often  rejected  under  ancient  rules,  but  which  time 
must  restore  to  all  our  laws.  Audacity  destroys,  genius  elevates, 
good  sense  preserves  and  perfects.  Genius  is  charged  with  the  glory 
of  empires ;  but  good  sense  alone  assures  their  safety  and  repose.  *  * 

Such  a  character  is  worthy  of  the  brightest  days  of  antiquity,  and 
we  may  well  doubt  whether  in  all  the  traits  that  compose  it  we  can 
find  its  parallel  in  our  age.  We  may  here  find  again  one  of  the  lost 
characters  so  beautifully  delineated  by  Plutarch,  in  his  Lives  of  Illus 
trious  Men. 

His  administration  was  as  mild  and  firm  in  internal  affairs  as  it 
was  noble  and  prudent  towards  foreign  nations.  He  uniformly  re 
spected  the  usages  of  other  countries,  as  he  would  desire  the  rights  of 
Americans  to  be  respected  by  them.  Thus  in  all  his  negotiations,  the 
heroic  simplicity  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  without  eleva 
tion  or  debasement,  was  brought  into  communication  with  the  majesty 
of  Kings.  He  sought  not  in  his  administration  those  conceptions 
which  the  age  calls  great,  but  which  he  regarded  as  vain.  His  ideas 
were  more  sage  than  bold;  he  sought  not  admiration,  but  he  always 
enjoyed  esteem,  alike  in  the  field  and  in  the  Senate,  in  the  midst  of 
business  as  in  the  quiet  of  retirement. 

Louis,  COUNT  DE  FONTANES,  was  born  at  Niort,  France,  March  6,  1757,  and  died  in 
13 


98  LOUIS  FONTANES. 


Paris,  March  17,  1821.  He  showed  an  early  taste  for  poetry  and  letters,  and  moving  to  Paris, 
became  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Memorial,  a  literary  Journal.  An  article  in  1797,  upon  Na 
poleon,  in  which  his  future  elevation  was  predicted,  displeasing  the  Directory,  he  was  ban 
ished,  and  took  refuge  in  England.  The  revolution  of  the  i8th  Brumaire,  however,  enabled 
him  to  return  to  France.  The  funeral  oration  in  honor  of  Washington,  from  which  we  make 
the  above  extract,  was  delivered  at  Paris,  February  i8th,  1800,  by  direction  of  Bonaparte, 
then  First  Consul.  It  was  published  with  the  following  title  :  "  Eloge  Funebre  de  Washing 
ton;  prononce  dans  le. Temple  de  Mars,  par  Louis  Fontanes."  8vo.,  pp.  29.  Paris,  1800. 
A  Dutch  translation  was  published  at  Amsterdam,  the  same  year,  and  a  complete  English 
translation,  which  we  use,  will  be  found  in  Washingtoniana,  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1865.  A  few 
days  before  the  delivery  of  the  oration,  the  First  Consul  issued  the  following  Order  of  the 
day,  for  the  Consular  Guard,  and  all  the  troops  of  the  Republic.  "  Washington  is  no  more. 
That  great  man  fought  against  tyranny.  He  firmly  established  the  liberty  of  his  country. 
His  memory  will  be  ever  dear  to  the  French  people,  as  it  must  be  to  every  friend  of  freedom 
in  the  two  worlds,  and  especially  to  the  French  soldiers,  who  like  him  and  the  Americans, 
bravely  fight  for  liberty  and  equality.  The  First  Consul  in  consequence  orders,  that  for  ten 
days,  black  crapes  shall  be  suspended  to  all  the  standards  and  flags  of  the  Republic." 


ANNUAL  REGISTER. 
1800. 

EXTRACT  FROM  AN  OBITUARY  IN  THE  NEW  ANNUAL  REGISTER  OR  GENERAL  REPOSITORY 
OF  HISTORY,  POLITICS  AND  LITERATURE,  FOR  THE  YEAR  1800.     LONDON. 

THE  American  republic  has  sustained  an  irreparable  loss  in  the 
death  of  the  venerable  Washington.  This  melancholy  event  took  place 
on  the  1 5th  of  December,  1/99,  and  was  occasioned  by  an  inflamma 
tory  sore  throat,  the  first  symptoms  of  which  appeared  only  three  days 
previous  to  his  death.  We  have  been  not  inattentive  observers  of  the 
career  of  this  illustrious  man,  from  the  period  of  his  assuming  the 
command  of  the  revolutionary  army  of  America;  and  we  do  not  hesi 
tate  to  pronounce  him  the  greatest  character  of  modern  times;  and, 
perhaps,  with  all  the  embellishments  of  fabulous  and  partial  historians, 
there  is  scarcely  one  in  the  annals  of  antiquity  that  will  bear  a  com 
parison.  In  him  prudence  was  united  with  vigour;  wisdom  with 
patriotism;  courage  with  disinterestedness.  If  he  had  ambition,  it 
was  of  the  purest  kind;  exempt  from  that  selfishness  with  which  this 
passion  is  too  commonly  united ;  and  he  built  his  fame  upon  the  proudest 
and  most  solid  basis,  that  of  service  to  his  country,  and  his  love  of 
human  kind.  That  rare  and  valuable  quality,  improperly  called  com 
mon-sense,  because  in  reality  it  is  the  least  common,  never  appears  to 
have  deserted  him,  whether  in  council  or  the  field,  in  the  moment  of 
depression,  or  in  the  still  more  dangerous  crisis,  that  of  his  elevation ; 

(99) 


ioo  ANNUAL  REGISTER. 

and  he  is  one  of  the  very  few  of  whom  it  may  be  asserted,  that  he 
scarcely  ever  said  or  did  a  foolish  thing.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
are  formed*  by  Providence  to  be  the  founders  of  empires;  and,  if  we 
look  to  second  causes  only,  we  may  venture  to  affirm,  that  to  the 
talents  of  Washington,  America  is  more  indebted  than  to  any  other 
circumstance  for  its  liberty  and  independence.  With  probably  few  of 
the  advantages  derivable  from  a  regular  and  classical  education,  his 
eloquence  was  that  of  the  heart,  and  generally  affected  the  hearts  of 
those  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Indeed,  there  are  perhaps  scarcely 
to  be  found  more  perfect  specimens  of  pure  and  genuine  eloquence  than 
in  his  answer  to  the  proclamation  of  General  Burgoigne  in  1777,  and 
his  farewell  oration  on  resigning  the  presidency  of  the  United  States. 
Without  methodical  and  early  instruction  in  the  modern  school  of 
tactics,  he  was  enabled  to  assume  the  command  of  a  great  army,  and 
to  contend  under  infinite  disadvantages,  with  the  first  generals  of 
Great  Britain.  Without  the  regular  succession  of  office,  and  the  disci 
pline  of  diplomatic  science,  he  was  perhaps  the  first  statesman  of  the 
present  age.  He  founded  a  government,  he  maintained  it  in  external 
and  internal  tranquility,  and  left  it  in  a  state  of  unexampled  prosperity. 

He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  American  Congress  which  met 
in  Philadelphia  in  1774;  and  was  soon  after  appointed  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  provincial  army.  Of  his  great  talents  and  consummate 
judgment,  that  desperate  and  difficult  contest,  between  the  mother 
country  and  the  colonies,  affords  the  best  of  proofs ;  and  the  character 
of  Washington  is  written  by  the  historian  in  every  detail  that  he  has 
given  of  the  incidents  of  the  war.  Yet  it  is  remarkable,  that  such  was 


ANNUAL  REGISTER.  101 


the  humanity  of  this  incomparable  man,  that  he  never  could  afterwards 
bear  to  converse  on  a  subject  which  would  have  administered  to  the 
vanity  of  almost  any  other  individual.  "Sir,"  said  he  one  day,  to  a 
foreign  gentleman,  "  I  observe  you  wish  me  to  speak  of  the  war.  It 
is  a  conversation  I  always  avoid.  I  rejoice  in  the  establishment  of  the 
liberties  of  America ;  but  the  time  of  the  struggle  was  a  horrid  period, 
in  which  the  best  men  were  compelled  to  do  many  things  repugnant 
to  their  nature."  *  *  *  * 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  into  retirement ;  but  the  disorders 
arising  from  paper  currency,  and  an  unsettled  government,  once  more 
called  forth  his  attention.  When  a  new  constitution  was  framed  for 
the  United  States,  he  was  chosen  president.  He  seems  to  have  ac 
cepted  it  rather  from  necessity  than  choice ;  and  afterwards  to  have 
relinquished  the  honour  in  compliance  with  his  own  inclination,  when 
his  country  seemed  to  have  no  further  claim  or  call  for  his  services. 
In  a  word,  his  conduct  exhibited  to  the  world  the  character  of  a  truly 
great  and  good  man — epithets  so  rarely  united,  that  they  have  almost 
been  supposed  incompatible. 


DAVID  TAPPAN. 

1800. 

IT  was  the  high  destiny  of  Washington,  to  be  selected  in  the  coun 
sels  of  Heaven,  as  its  leading  agent  in  the  most  glorious  and  beneficent 
work,  which  perhaps  was  ever  accomplished  in  the  political  world. 
This  peculiar  allotment  gives  him  a  marked  pre-eminence  in  the  annals 
of  human  greatness.  Though  existing  or  future  patriots  may  possibly 
rival  him  in  other  respects;  yet  to  him  was  eminently  consigned  the 
province  of  severing  the  new  world  from  the  old,  and  of  erecting  the 
former  into  an  independent,  stable,  and  glorious  fabric  of  liberty  and 
happiness. 

The  same  unerring  wisdom,  which  had  appointed  him  to  this 
work,  gradually  ripened  him  for  its  execution  by  a  nice  adjustment  of 
his  birth  and  education,  of  his  bodily  and  mental  constitution,  of  his 
early  fortunes  and  pursuits.  In  these  previous  steps  we  recognize  the 
same  invisible  hand,  which  by  similar  arrangements  prepared  the 
ancient  deliverer  and  lawgiver  of  Israel  for  the  great  scenes  of  his 
public  life.  In  the  bodily  constitution  of  our  hero  were  united  a  vigor, 
firmness,  and  dignity,  which  at  once  represented  and  supported  the 
energy  and  greatness  of  his  mind;  and  which  seemed  to  designate  him 
for  high  command  and  arduous  enterprize.  His  intellectual  furniture 
combined  a  clear  and  comprehensive  understanding,  a  correct  and  cul 
tivated  taste,  a  prompt  and  retentive  memory,  a  sound  and  deliberate 
(102) 


DAVID  TAPPAN.  103 


judgment.  He  conceived  and  expressed  his  sentiments  with  justness, 
precision,  and  strength.  He  formed  and  executed  his  plans  with  cir 
cumspection,  policy,  and  vigor.  The  productions  of  his  pen  were 
uniformly  excellent.  They  furnish  an  eminent  model  of  chaste  and 
perspicuous,  of  concise  and  elegant  composition.  Their  matter  and 
style  are  ever  appropriate  to  the  subject  and  occasion.  They  exhibit, 
in  the  most  unaffected  and  diversified  manner,  not  only  the  inexhausted 
resources  of  his  genius,  but  the  steady  and  elevated  goodness  of  his 
heart. 

As  the  greatness  of  God,  rightly  understood,  involves,  and  indeed 
is  principally  formed  by  infinite  rectitude ;  so  his  departed  minister  was 
chiefly  ennobled  by  the  majesty  of  his  virtue.  His  avowed  and  sublime 
principles  of  morality  and  piety  enlarged  his  understanding,  and  exalted 
his  affections.  They  originated  some  of  his  great  qualities,  and  im 
parted  direction,  vigor,  and  beauty  to  all.  They  supported  a  constant 
propriety  and  dignity  both  of  sentiment  and  action  in  his  individual, 
domestic,  and  public  capacities.  His  unusual  command  of  appetite 
and  passion  made  the  serenity,  clearness,  and  uniformity  of  his  mind 
resemble  those  of  superior  beings.  His  investigation,  discernment, 
and  practical  observance  of  truth,  rectitude,  and  honor  were  never 
known  to  be  either  obstructed  by  pleasure,  relaxed  by  indolence,  dis 
turbed  by  resentment,  controuled  by  fear,  intercepted  by  interest,  or 
borne  down  by  ambition.  In  short,  the  splendor  of  his  character  arose, 
not  so  much  from  the  striking  predominance  of  any  one  virtue,  as  from 
the  singular  union  and  culture  of  all,  and  the  wonderful  adaptation  of 
his  leading  moral  qualities  to  his  peculiar  and  arduous  situations. 


104  DAVID  TAPPAN. 


Amid  the  singular  discouragements  and  vicissitudes  of  a  long, 
fluctuating,  and  distressing  war,  his  mind,  leaning  on  its  own  greatness, 
on  the  purity  of  his  motives,  the  rectitude  of  the  cause,  and  the  appro 
bation  of  his  God,  seemed  to  gather  strength  from  surrounding  weak 
ness,  courage  from  danger,  and  hope  from  despondency.  Happy  in 
his  conscious  integrity,  and  alive  only  to  his  country's  interest  and 
honor,  he  anxiously  covered  her  infirmities  and  perils  even  from  his 
own  view;  he  resigned  personal  character  and  feeling  to  her  credit  and 
welfare;  he  enlivened  her  confidence,  and  repelled  her  foes,  by  needful 
but  feigned  appearances  of  strength,  and  prospects  of  victory.  While 
we  trace  his  military  career,  we  admire  that  uncommon  and  diversified 
greatness,  which  could  at  once  conceal  and  varnish,  endure  and  sur 
mount,  yea  finally  bend  to  the  public  good,  so  many  circumstances  of 
perplexity,  alarm,  and  disgrace.  We  admire  that  greatness,  which 
effectually  influenced  the  civil  authorities,  while  it  yielded  them  the 
most  delicate  respect  and  the  firmest  support;  which  animated  the 
great  mass  of  the  people,  and  upheld  the  national  Union,  without  ever 
stepping  over  the  line  of  decorum  or  official  propriety.  We  venerate 
that  controuling  genius  and  virtue,  which  from  raw,  shifting,  and  dis 
cordant  materials,  and  amid  the  most  trying  and  obstinate  difficulties, 
could  create  and  harmonize,  encourage  and  protect  the  armies  of  our 
infant  nation;  and  which,  under  the  visible  auspices  of  an  almighty 
leader,  conducted  them  through  a  great  and  terrible  wilderness,  to  the 
promised  land  of  triumphant  freedom,  peace,  and  independence.  We 
reverence  that  sublime  spirit,  which,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  spurned 
the  allurement  of  empire,  and  crushed  the  embryo  of  rebellion ;  and 
which,  after  giving  its  excellent  parting  advice  and  benediction  to  the 


DAVID  TAPPAN.  105 


beloved  soldiers  and  citizens  of  America,  exemplified  to  the  world  the 
precious  maxim,  that  true  ambition  and  glory  are  compleated  in  hum 
ble  and  disinterested  virtue. 

In  a  word,  the  character  of  our  hero  seemed  to  border  as  closely 
on  perfection,  as  human  infirmity  would  permit.  Its  multifarious 
and  exquisite  texture  was  admirably  fitted  to  his  destination.  The 
God  of  Washington  and  of  America,  appears  to  have  united  in  him 
those  seemingly  incompatible  virtues  and  talents,  which  had  been 
singly  distributed  among  preceding  warriors,  because  their  combined 
efficiency  and  example  were  eminently  required,  to  form  a  lasting  center 
of  union  for  our  nation;  to  support  the  interests,  and  retrieve  the  honor 
of  our  degraded  nature;  and  to  instruct  mankind  in  that  true  heroism, 
which  liberty  and  Christianity  alone  can  inspire. 

DAVID  TAPPAN,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Manchester,  Mass.,  April  21,  1752,  and  died  August 
27, 1803.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1771,  and  after  studying  divinity  was  ordained 
minister  of  the  3d  Church  in  Newbury,  in  1774,  and  from  December  26,  1792  until  his  death, 
was  Hollis  professor  of  divinity  in  Harvard.  Our  extract  is  from  "  A  discourse  delivered  before 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  February  21, 1800,  in  solemn  commemoration  of  General  George 
Washington,  by  David  Tappan,  S.T.D.,  Hollis  Professor  of  Divinity,"  and  published  the  same 
year  at  Cambridge,  with  an  introductory  address  in  Latin  by  Joseph  Willard,  L.L.D.,  Presi 
dent.  8vo,  pp.  44.  The  discourse  was  reprinted  in  Washington's  Political  Legacies.  New 
York,  1800.  In  a  note  Dr.  Tappan  says:  "The  singular  trials,  virtues,  talents,  and  services 
of  our  hero,  during  the  late  war,  are  best  seen  in  his  Official  Letters.  These,  compared  with 
his  conduct,  display  an  unparalleled  union  of  coolness  and  animation;  of  caution  and  vigor; 
of  modesty  and  decision ;  of  philanthrophy  and  bravery ;  of  humility  and  ambition ;  of  com 
prehensive  discernment  and  patriotic  ardor ;  of  prudent,  yet  heroic  patience  and  enterprise ; 
of  fortitude  in  distress,  moderation  in  victory,  and  equanimity  in  all  the  changes  of  fortune." 


EBENEZER  GRANT  MARSH. 
1800. 

To  view  Washington  as  a  perfect  model  of  military  greatness,  to 
rank  him  with  the  greatest  generals  of  any  age,  is  no  amplification. 
In  him  were  blended  activity,  vigilance,  great  force  of  judgment,  and 
never  failing  presence  of  mind.  He  could  unite  information  with 
talents,  reflection  with  experience,  and  stratagem  with  glory.  Cau 
tious,  systematic,  and  inflexible,  his  genius  was  singularly  adapted  to 
our  revolutionary  war.  Distinguishing,  with  precision,  the  difference 
between  great  difficulties  and  impossibilities,  and  never  discouraged 
by  the  former,  he  often  appeared  to  execute  the  latter.  Indefatigably 
laborious  and  active,  coolly  intrepid  in  action,  he  discerned  as  by  intui 
tion,  seized  with  rapidity,  and  improved  with  skill,  the  favorable,  and 
often  decisive,  moments  of  battle.  Never  transported  by  the  enthu 
siasm  of  patriotism,  never  deluded  by  the  ardor  of  courage,  he  pre 
ferred  stratagem  to  action,  and  victory  to  glory.  Modest  and  mag 
nanimous  after  victory,  he  became  the  generous  protector  of  his  sub 
dued  and  captive  enemies.  Resolute  and  undejected  in  misfortunes, 
he  rose  superior  to  distresses,  and  surmounted  difficulties,  which  no 
courage,  no  constancy,  but  his  own,  would  have  resisted.  His  letters, 
during  his  most  gloomy  prospects,  announce  a  hero,  conscious  of  his 
danger,  but  still  deriving  a  well  grounded  hope  from  the  resources  of 
his  own  mind.  His  valor  was  never  unequal  to  his  duty  or  the  occa- 
(106) 


EBENEZER  GRANT  MARSH.  107 

sion.  He  attempted  great  things  with  means  that  appeared  totally 
inadequate,  and  successfully  prosecuted  what  he  had  boldly  resolved. 
He  was  never  disheartened  by  difficulties,  but  had  that  vigor  of  mind, 
which,  instead  of  bending  to  opposition,  rises  above  it,  and  seems  to 
have  a  power  of  controling  even  fortune  itself.  His  character  com 
bined  a  cool  and  penetrating  judgment  and  prompt  decision,  caution 
and  intrepidity,  patience  and  enterprise,  generous  tenderness  and  com 
passion,  with  undaunted  heroism.  He  was  a  never  failing  resource  to 
those  who  wanted  his  assistance.  No  one  could  have  more  happily 
concentrated  the  confidence  of  his  troops.  Their  obedience  was  less 
owing  to  the  authority  of  his  post,  than  to  their  opinion  of  his  valor; 
so  attached  to  him  were  the  officers  and  soldiers,  that  if  a  principle  of 
duty  and  virtue  had  not  secured  their  obedience  to  their  country, 
gratitude  and  respect  for  their  general  would  have  confirmed  it.  Even 
when  worn  out  with  fatigue  they  were  ever  ready  to  execute  his 
orders,  and  no  danger  could  intimidate  them  when  they  were  com 
manded  by  Washington.  He  himself  always  shared  in  the  toils  he 
was  obliged  to  impose,  visited  in  person  the  sick  and  the  wounded, 
and  expressed,  on  every  occasion,  the  greatest  regard  for  a  body  of 
men,  whose  welfare  was  so  closely  connected  with  that  of  his  country. 
By  the  strictest  rules  he  labored  to  inspire  them  with  a  sense  of  duty, 
and  neglected  no  circumstance  which  might  render  them  formidable 
to  their  enemies.  He  was  eloquent,  persuasive,  strong,  and  pathetic, 
as  occasion  required.  He  had  arguments  and  tears  at  his  command. 
In  a  word,  he  was  a  general  formed  by  heaven  for  just  such  a  period, 
country,  and  cause,  as  ours.  *  *  *  * 

In  no  situation  did  Washington  appear  more  truly  great  than  at 


io8  EBENEZER  GRANT  MARSH. 

the  helm  of  our  federal  government.  Here  he  displayed  an  astonish 
ing  extent  and  precision  of  political  talents,  a  disinterested  integrity, 
an  incorruptible  heart,  a  constant  attention  to  the  grand  principles  of 
rational  liberty,  and  an  invariable  attachment  to  his  country.  His 
genius  was  equal  to  the  most  enlarged  views,  and  minute  details,  of 
civil  policy.  A  vigorous  mind,  improved  by  the  experience  and  study 
of  mankind,  dexterity  and  application  in  business,  a  judicious  mixture 
of  liberality  and  economy.  Steadiness  to  pursue  his  ends,  and  flexi 
bility  to  vary  his  means,  marked  his  administration.  He  guided  the 
passions  of  others,  because  he  was  master  of  his  own.  Had  his  char 
acter  and  feelings  been  more  fervid,  his  conduct  might  not  have  been 
so  exemplary,  nor  his  glory  so  exalted  and  permanent.  Patriotic  from 
principle,  and  temperate  from  constitution,  he  neither  disdained  nor 
sought  elevation;  but  always  retained  a  humility,  which  demonstrated, 
even  to  political  jealousy,  that  a  man,  capable  of  bearing  so  many 
honors,  fully  deserved  them.  He  was  provident  without  timidity, 
severe  in  the  execution  of  justice  without  vigor,  moderate  when  his 
own  interests  were  the  subject  of  discussion,  and  inflexibly  firm  when 
those  of  his  country  were  in  question.  He  stood  a  rock  in  the  midst 
of  the  ocean,  receiving  unmoved  the  violence  of  its  waves.  *  *  *  * 
The  private  character  of  this  great  man  eminently  corresponded 
with  the  splendor  of  his  public  reputation.  The  native  simplicity  of 
his  virtue  was  a  stranger  to  vanity  or  affectation.  He  enjoyed,  with 
moderation,  the  advantages  of  his  fortune,  and  the  innocent  pleasures 
of  society.  He  was  severe  to  himself,  indulgent  to  the  imperfections 
of  others,  just  and  beneficent  to  all  mankind.  Sincerity  and  candor, 
a  true  sense  of  honor,  justice,  and  public  liberty,  appeared  to  be  the 


EBENEZER  GRANT  MARSH.  109 


inherent  principles  of  his  nature,  and  the  uniform  rule  of  his  conduct. 
The  largeness  of  his  heart  equalled  that  of  his  fortune.  Without 
thinking  of  his  own  greatness,  without  fearing  lest  others  should  for 
get  it,  he  was  easy  of  access,  untainted  with  rancor  or  jealousy,  and 
ever  ready  to  listen  to  just  complaints.  "He  appears,"  indeed,  "to 
have  been  the  complete  model  of  that  perfect  character,  which,  under 
the  denomination  of  a  sage  or  a  wise  man,  the  philosophers  have  been 
fond  of  delineating,  rather  as  a  fiction  of  their  imagination,  than  in  hope 
of  ever  seeing  it  reduced  to  practice — so  happily  were  all  his  virtues 
tempered  together,  so  justly  were  they  blended,  and  so  powerfully  did 
each  prevent  the  other  from  exceeding  its  proper  bounds."  In  a  word, 
cotemporary  jealousy,  envy,  and  malignity,  were  compelled  to  applaud 
both  his  public  and  private  character,  and  more  impartial  posterity 
will  read  it  with  admiration. 


EBEXEZER  GRANT  MARSH,  professor  of  languages  and  ecclesiastical  history  in  Yale  Col 
lege,  was  the  son  of  Dr.  John  Marsh,  minister  of  Wethersfield,  Conn.  He  graduated  at  Yale, 
in  1795,  was  elected  an  instructor  in  the  Hebrew  language  in  1798,  and  one  of  the  tutors  in 
1799.  In  1802  he  was  elected  professor.  He  died  November  i6th,  1803,  aged  twenty-six 
years.  Our  extract,  is  from  "an  oration  delivered  at  Wethersfield,  February  22d,  1 800;  on 
the  death  of  General  George  Washington,  who  died  December  I4th,  1799.  By  Ebenezer 
Grant  Marsh.  Published  by  request."  8vo,  pp.  16.  Hartford,  1800. 


TIMOTHY  DWIGHT. 

1800. 

General  Washington  was  great,  not  by  means  of  that  brilliancy 
of  mind,  often  appropriately  termed  genius,  and  usually  coveted  for 
ourselves,  and  our  children;  and  almost  as  usually  attended  with 
qualities,  which  preclude  wisdom,  and  depreciate  or  forbid  worth ;  but 
by  a  constitutional  character  more  happily  formed.  His  mind  was  in 
deed  inventive  and  full  of  resources ;  but  its  energy  appears  to  have 
been  originally  directed  to  that  which  is  practical  and  useful,  and  not 
to  that  which  is  shewy  and  specious.  His  judgment  was  clear  and 
intuitive  beyond  that  of  most  who  have  lived,  and  seemed  instinctively 
to  discern  the  proper  answer  to  the  celebrated  Roman  question ;  Cui 
bono  erit?  To  this  his  incessant  attention,  and  unwearied  observa 
tion,  which  nothing,  whether  great  or  minute,  escaped,  doubtless  con 
tributed  in  a  high  degree.  What  he  observed  he  treasured  up,  and 
thus  added  daily  to  his  stock  of  useful  knowledge.  Hence,  although 
his  early  education  was  ii  a  degree  confined,  his  mind  became  pos 
sessed  of  extensive,  various,  and  exact  information.  Perhaps  there 
never  was  a  mind,  on  which  theoretical  speculations  had  less  influence, 
and  the  decisions  of  common  sense  more. 

At  the  same  time,  no  man  ever  more  earnestly  or  uniformly, 
sought  advice,  or  regarded  it,  when  given,  with  more  critical  attention. 
The  opinion  of  friends  and  enemies,  of  those  who  abetted,  and  of 
(no) 


TIMO  THY  D  WIGHT.  1 1 1 

those  who  opposed,  his  own  system,  he  explored,  and  secured  alike. 
His  own  opinions,  also,  he  submitted  to  his  proper  counsellours,  and 
often  to  others ;  with  a  demand,  that  they  should  be  sifted,  and  ex 
posed,  without  any  tenderness  to  them  because  they  were  his ;  insist 
ing,  that  they  should  be  considered  as  opinions  merely,  and,  as  such, 
should  be  subjected  to  the  freest  and  most  severe  investigation. 

When  any  measure  of  importance  was  to  be  acted  on,  he  delayed 
the  formation  of  his  judgment  until  the  last  moment;  that  he  might 
secure  to  himself,  alway,  the  benefit  of  every  hint,  opinion,  and  cir 
cumstance,  which  might  contribute  either  to  confirm,  or  change,  his 
decision.  Hence,  probably,  it  in  a  great  measure  arose,  that  he  was 
so  rarely  committed;  and  that  his  decisions  have  so  rarely  produced 
regret;  and  have  been  so  clearly  justified  both  by  their  consequences 
and  the  judgment  of  mankind. 

With  this  preparation,  he  formed  a  judgment  finally  and  wholly 
his  own ;  and  although  no  man  was  ever  more  anxious  before  a  mea 
sure  was  adopted,  probably  no  man  was  ever  less  anxious  afterward. 
He  had  done  his  duty,  and  left  the  issue  to  Providence. 

To  all  this  conduct  his  high  independence  of  mind  greatly  con 
tributed.  By  this  I  intend  a  spirit,  which  dares  to  do  its  duty,  against 
friends  and  enemies,  and  in  prosperous  and  adverse  circumstances, 
alike;  and  which,  when  it  has  done  its  duty,  is  regardless  of  opinions 
and  consequences. 

Nor  was  he  less  indebted  to  his  peculiar  firmness.  He  not  only 
dared  to  act  in  this  manner,  but  uniformly  sustained  the  same  tone  of 
thought  and  feeling,  such,  as  he  was  at  the  decision,  he  ever  after 
continued  to  be;  and  all  men  despaired  of  operating  on  him  unless 


1 1 2  TIMO  THY  D  WIGHT. 

through  the  medium  of  conviction.  The  same  unchanging  spirit  sup 
ported  him  through  every  part  of  his  astonishing  trials,  during  the 
war;  and  exhibited  him  as  exactly  the  same  man  after>i  defeat,  as  after 
a  victory;  neither  elated  nor  depressed,  but  always  grave,  serene,  and 
prepared  for  the  event. 

From  other  great  men  he  was  distinguished  by  an  exemption 
from  favouritism.  No  man  ever  so  engrossed  his  attachment,  as  to  be 
safe,  for  a  moment,  from  deserved  reproof,  or  censure;'  nor  was  any 
man  ever  so  disrelished  by  him,  as,  on  that  account,  to  fail  of  receiv 
ing  from  him  whatever  applause,  or  services  his  merit  could  claim. 
Hence  his  friends  feared,  and  his  enemies  respected  him. 

His  moderation  and  self  government  were  such  that  he  was  always 
in  his  own  power,  and  never  in  the  power  of  any  other  person.  What 
ever  passions  he  felt,  they  rarely  appeared.  His  conduct,  opinions, 
and  life,  wore  unusually  the  character  of  mere  intellect.  Hence  he 
was  never  found  unguarded,  or  embarrassed;  but  was  always  at  full 
liberty  to  do  that,  and  that  only,  which  expediency  and  duty  de 
manded.  A  striking  instance  of  this  trait  in  his  character  is  seen  in 
the  well  known  fact ;  that  he  never  exculpated  himself  from  any  charge, 
nor  replied  to  any  calumny.  His  accusers,  for  such  he  had,  had 
opportunity  to  make  the  most  of  their  accusations; '  his  calumniators, 
if  their  consciences  permitted,  to  sleep  in  peace. 

His  justice  was  exact,  but  tempered  with  the  utmost  humanity, 
which  the  occasion  would  suffer.  His  truth  no  sober  man,  who  knew 
him,  probably  ever  doubted.  Watchful  against  his  own  exposures  to 
error,  he  was  rarely  found  erring;  jealous  of  doing  injustice,  if  he  has 
done  injustice,  it  is  yet,  I  believe,  unrecorded. 


TIMO  THY  D  WIGHT.  1 1 3 

His  reservedness  has  been  at  times  censured.  To  me  it  appears 
to  have  been  an  important  and  necessary  characteristic  of  a  person 
situated  as  he  was.  In  familiar  life  a  communicative  disposition  is 
generally  pleasing,  and  often  useful ;  in  his  high  stations  it  would  have 
been  dangerous.  One  unguarded  or  ambiguous  expression  might 
have  produced  evils,  the  remedy  of  which  would  have  been  beyond 
even  his  own  power.  No  such  expression  is  recorded  of  him. 

His  punctuality  was  extreme.  He  rose  always  with  the  dawn ; 
he  dined  at  a  given  minute ;  he  attended  every  appointment  at  the 
moment.  Hence  his  business  public  and  private  was  always  done  at 
the  proper  time,  and  always  beforehand. 

No  person  appears  to  have  had  a  higher  sense  of  decorum,  and 
universal  propriety.  The  eye,  following  his  public  and  private  life, 
traces  an  unexceptionable  propriety,  an  exact  decorum,  in  every  action; 
in  every  word;  in  his  demeanour  to  men  of  every  class;  in  his  public 
communications;  in  his  convivial  entertainments;  in  his  letters;  and 
in  his  familiar  conversation;  from  which  bluntness,  flattery,  witticism, 
indelicacy,  negligence,  passion,  and  overaction,  were  alike  excluded. 

From  these  things  happily  combined,  always  seen,  and  seen 
always  in  their  native  light,  without  art,  or  affectation,  it  arose,  that, 
wherever  he  appeared,  an  instinctive  awe  and  veneration  attended 
him  on  the  part  of  all  men.  Every  man,  however  great  in  his  own 
opinion,  or  in  reality,  shrunk  in  his  presence,  and  became  conscious 
of  an  inferiority,  which  he  never  felt  before.  Whilst  he  encouraged 
every  man,  particularly  eveiy  stranger,  and  peculiarly  every  diffident 
man,  and  raised  him  to  self-possession,  no  sober  person,  however  secure 
15 


1 14  TIMOTHY  DWIGHT. 

he  might  think  himself  of  his  esteem,  ever  presumed  to  draw  too  near 
him. 

With  respect  to  his  religious  character  there  have  been  different 
opinions.  No  one  will  be  surprised  at  this,  who  reflects,  that  this  is  a 
subject,  about  which,  in  all  circumstances  not  involving'  inspired  testi 
mony,  doubts  may  and  will  exist.  The  evidence  concerning  it  must 
of  course  arise  from  an  induction  of  particulars.  Some  will  induce 
more  of  these  particulars,  and  others  fewer;  some  will  rest  on  one 
class,  or  collection,  others  on  another;  and  some  will  give  more,  and 
others  less,  weight  to  those  which  are  induced;  according  to  their 
several  modes,  and  standards,  of  judging.  The  question  in  this,  and 
all  other  cases,  must  be  finally  determined  before  another  tribunal, 
than  that  of  human  judgment;  and  to  that  tribunal  it  must  ultimately 
be  left.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  considered  his  numerous  and  uni 
form  public  and  most  solemn  declarations  of  his  high  veneration  for 
religion,  his  exemplary  and  edifying  attention  to  public  worship,  and 
his  constancy  in  secret  devotion,  as  proofs,  sufficient  to  satisfy  every 
person,  willing  to  be  satisfied.  I  shall  only  add,  that  if  he  was  not  a 
Christian,  he  was  more  like  one,  than  any  man  of  the  same  description, 
whose  life  has  been  hitherto  recorded. 

As  a  warrior,  his  merit  has,  I  believe,  been  fully  and  readily 
acknowledged;  yet  I  have  doubted  whether  it  has  always  been  justly 
estimated.  His  military  greatness  lay  not  principally  in  desperate 
sallies  of  courage;  in  the  daring  and  brilliant  exploits  of  a  partisan: 
These  would  have  ill  suited  his  station,  and  most  probably  have  ruined 
his  cause  and  country.  It  consisted  in  the  formation  of  extensive  and 
masterly  plans;  effectual  preparations,  the  cautious  prevention  of  great 


TIMOTHY  D  WIGHT.  1 1 5 


evils,  and  the  watchful  seizure  of  every  advantage ;  in  combining  heter 
ogeneous  materials  into  one  military  body,  producing  a  system  of 
military  and  political  measures,  concentering  universal  confidence,  and 
diffusing  an  influence  next  to  magical;  in  comprehending  a  great 
scheme  of  war,  pursuing  a  regular  system  of  acquiring  strength  for  his 
country,  and  wearing  out  the  strength  of  his  enemies.  To  his  conduct, 
both  military  and  political,  may,  with  exact  propriety,  be  applied  the 
observation,  which  has  been  often  made  concerning  his  courage ;  that 
in  the  most  hazardous  situations  no  man  ever  saw  his  countenance 
change. 


TIMOTHY  DWIGHT,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  May  14,  1752,  and  died  at 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  January  II,  1817.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1769,  was  licensed 
to  preach  and  acted  as  chaplain  in  the  revolutionary  army  from  Sept.  1777,  to  Oct.  1778, 
doing  much  to  heighten  the  enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers  by  his  popular  patriotic  songs.  From 
Sept.  1795,  until  his  death,  he  was  President  of  Yale  College.  Dr.  Dwight  had  great  industry 
and  research,  was  a  sound  and  impressive  preacher,  and  an  able  writer.  Our  extract  is  from 
"A  discourse  delivered  at  New  Haven,  Feb.  22,  1800,  on  the  character  of  George  Washing 
ton,  Esq.,  at  the  request  of  the  citizens,  by  Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.,  President  of  Yale  College." 
8vo,  pp.  39.  New  Haven,  1800. 


WILLIAM  LINN. 

1800. 

WHEN  God  in  his  adorable  providence  intends  to  accomplish 
some  glorious  work  upon  earth,  he  provides  and  prepares  his  instru 
ments  among  the  children  of  men.  Who  does  not  see  that  Moses, 
by  the  manner  in  which  he  was  preserved,  the  instruction  which  he 
received,  and  the  habits  of  life  to  which  he  was  inured,  was  fitted  to 
lead  the  people  of  Israel  ?  Who,  that  Cyrus,  had  we  not  been  ex 
pressly  informed,  was  "guided  by  the  Lord?"  The  intention  is 
frequently  hidden  from  the  persons  themselves,  and  may  not  be  obvious 
to  others;  though  they  will  sometimes  discern  presages  of  future 
greatness.  Washington  was  endued  from  his  youth  with  a  military 
spirit.  When  a  stripling,  like  David,  he  encountered  the  enemies  of 
his  country.  His  first  destination  was  to  enter  as  a  midshipman  in  a 
British  vessel  of  war.  This  was  happily  prevented,  that  so,  instead 
of  the  admiral,  he  might  become  the  general.  He  gave  such  early 
and  uncommon  indications  of  heroism  as  occasioned  public  mention 
of  him  by  an  eminent  divine,  in  a  discourse  delivered  soon  after 
Braddock's  defeat.  The  subject  was  religion  and  patriotism.  "Asa 
remarkable  instance,"  said  he,  "I  may  point  out  to  the  public  that 
heroic  youth  Colonel  Washington,  whom  I  cannot  but  hope  Provi 
dence  has  hitherto  preserved  in  so  signal  a  manner,  for  some  important 
(116) 


WILL  f AM  LINN.  1 1 7 


service  to  his  country."*     We  will  not  call  these  words  prophetic,  but 
they  have  been   repeatedly  quoted  as  a  testimony  of  the  budding 

honors  of  the  American  hero.     *     *     *     * 

Learning  to  estimate  justly  all  human  glory,  and  matured  by 
experience;  accustomed  to  lofty  conceptions,  and  moving  always  in 
the  important  spheres  of  life;  impressed  with  a  sense  that  he  derived 
all  from  God,  and  that  all  should  be  devoted  to  his  service;  his  de 
portment  was  noble,  equally  removed  from  the  supercilious  and  the 
vain.  Some  men  have  been  great  at  one  time,  and  despicable  at 
another ;  some  men  have  performed  a  single  great  action,  and  never 
rose  to  the  like  again;  but  to  him  great  actions  seemed  common. 
Some  men  have  appeared  great  at  the  head  of  armies,  or  when  sur 
rounded  by  the  trappings  of  power,  and  little  when  stripped  of  these, 
and  alone ;  some  men  have  withstood  the  storms  of  adversity,  and 
been  melted  by  the  sunshine  of  prosperity;  some  men  have  possessed 
splendid  public  talents,  and  disgraced  these  by  sordid  private  vices ; 
but  it  is  difficult  to  determine  when  and  where  Washington  shone  the 
brightest.  It  can  only  be  said,  that  he  was  uniformly  great.  *  *  *  * 

Incomparable  man !  He  devoted  his  time,  his  talents  and  his 
labors  to  our  service;  and  he  hath  left  his  advice  and  his  example  to 
us,  and  to  all  generations  ! 

*  The  discourse  referred  to,  was  delivered  August  17,  1755,  in  Hanover  County,  Va., 
and  published  at  Philadelphia  the  same  year,  with  the  title,  "  Religion  and  Patriotism  the 
constituents  of  a  good  soldier,"  in  a  note  to  which,  p.  9,  the  words  quoted,  occur.  The 
author,  Samuel  Davies,  D.D.,  was  born  in  New  Castle  County,  Del.,  November  3,  1723, 
and  was  officiating  at  the  time  in  that  part  of  Virginia.  In  1759,  he  succeeded  Jonathan 
Edwards  as  president  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  died  at  Princeton,  February  4, 
1761. — ED. 


iiS  WILLIAM  LINN. 


There  was  in  him  that  assemblage  of  qualities  which  constitutes 
real  greatness;  and  these  qualities  were  remarkably  adapted  to  the 
conspicuous  part  which  he  was  called  to  perform.  He  was  not  tinsel, 
but  gold ;  not  a  pebble,  but  a  diamond ;  not  a  meteor,  but  a  sun. 
Were  he  compared  with  the  sages  and  the  heroes  of  antiquity,  he 
would  gain  by  the  comparison ;  or  rather,  he  would  be  found  to  be 
free  from  the  blemishes,  and  to  unite  the  excellencies  of  them  all. 
Like  Fabius  he  was  prudent ;  like  Hannibal  he  was  unappalled  by 
difficulties ;  like  Cyrus  he  conciliated  affection ;  like  Cimon  he  was 
frugal;  like  Scipio  he  was  chaste;  like  Philopemen  he  was  humble; 
and  like  Pompey  he  was  successful.  If  we  compare  him  with  charac 
ters  in  the  sacred  records,  he  combined  the  exploits  of  Moses  and 
Joshua,  not  only  by  conducting  us  safely  across  the  Red  Sea  and 
through  the  wilderness,  but  by  bringing  us  into  the  promised  land. 
Like  David  he  conquered  an  insulting  Goliah,  and  rose  to  the  highest 
honors  from  an  humble  station;  like  Hezekiah  he  ruled;  and  like 
Josiah  at  his  death,  there  is  a  mourning  "  as  the  mourning  of  Hada- 
drimmon  in  the  valley  of  Megiddon."  Nor  is  the  mourning  confined 
to  us,  but  extends  to  all  the  wise  and  the  good  who  ever  heard  of  his 
name.  The  generals  whom  he  opposed  will  wrap  their  hilts  in  black, 
and  stern  Cornwallis  drop  a  tear.  *  *  *  * 

In  the  eighteenth  century  have  flourished  a  number  of  the  most 
eminent  philosophers,  historians,  orators,  poets,  patriots,  and  states 
men  ;  the  close  of  it  has  been  eventful  and  astonishing  beyond  all  pre 
cedent.  In  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  Columbus  discovered  this 
new  world ;  in  the  end  of  the  eighteenth,  Washington  arose  to  give 
Columbia  independence  and  rank  among  the  nations.  To  the  lustre  of 


WILLIAM  LINN.  1 19 


so  many  names,  and  to  a  period  of  such  wonderful  events,  he  joins  his 
blaze.  Memorable  aera !  The  age  of  great  men,  the  age  of  extraor 
dinary  revolutions,  the  age  of  Washington. 

WILLIAM  LINN,  D.D.,  an  eloquent  Presbyterian  divine,  was  born  at  Shippensburg,  Pa., 
in  1752,  and  died  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  January,  1808.  He  graduated  at  the  College  of  New 
Jersey,  in  1772,  and  after  serving  some  time  as  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  Army,  was 
pastor  of  a  church  near  Shippensburg;  in  1787  he  became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  and  shortly  afterwards,  settled  as  a  collegiate  pastor  in  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  in  New  York  City,  where  he  resided  twenty  years.  Our  extract  is  from  a 
"Funeral  Eulogy  on  the  death  of  George  Washington,  delivered  Feb.  22,  1 800,  before  the 
New  York  State  Society  of  Cincinnati,  by  Rev.  William  Linn,  D.D."  Svo,  pp.  44.  New 
York,  1800.  Reprinted  in  Washingtoniana,  Lancaster,  1802. 


MASON  L.  WEEMS. 
1800. 

IT  is  hardly  exaggeration  to  say  that  Washington  was  pious  as 
Numa;  just  as  Aristides;  temperate  as  Epictetus;  patriotic  as  Regu- 
lus;  in  giving  public  trusts,  impartial  as  Severus;  in  victory,  modest 
as  Scipio ;  prudent  as  Fabius ;  rapid  as  Marcellus ;  undaunted  as  Han 
nibal;  as  Cincinnatus  disinterested;  to  liberty  firm  as  Cato;  and  re 
spectful  of  the  laws  as  Socrates.  Or,  to  speak  in  plainer  terms ;  he 
was  religious  without  superstition;  just  without  rigour;  charitable 
without  profusion;  hospitable  without  making  others  pay  for  it;  gen 
erous  but  with  his  own  money;  rich  without  covetousness ;  frugal 
without  meanness;  humane  without  weakness;  brave  without  rash 
ness;  successful  without  vanity;  victorious  without  pride;  a  lover  of 
his  country,  but  no  hater  of  French  or  English ;  a  staunch  friend  of 
government  but  respectful  of  those  who  pointed  out  its  defects  with 
decency;  true  to  his  word  without  evasion  or  perfidy;  firm  in  adver 
sity;  moderate  in  prosperity;  glorious  and  honoured  in  life;  peaceful 
and  happy  in  death. 

Thus  singularly  virtuous  was  the  man,  whom  Heaven  was  pleased 
to  select  as  his  honored  instrument  to  establish  this  great  WESTERN 
REPUBLIC.  And  if  every  thing  be  duly  considered,  I  trust  it  will  ap 
pear  Washington  was  raised  up  of  God  as  a  forerunner  to  some  mighty 
event.  In  1774,  when  a  dark  gloom  hung  over  the  spirits  of  our 

(120) 


MASON  L.   WEEMS.  121 

* 

Fathers;  a  gloom  occasioned  by  the  alarm  of  a  mighty  nation  coming 
forward  with  her  armies  and  fleets,  (shading  the  ocean)  to  strike  at 
our  dearest  liberties ;  then  it  was,  that,  the  spirit  of  God  came  mightily 
on  Washington,  and  raised  him  up  as  an  Ensign  of  Hope  to  our  trem 
bling  countrymen.  And  when  we  consider  how  wonderfully  this  man 
was  enabled  to  inspire  confidence ;  insomuch  that  thirteen  little  Colo 
nies,  which,  a  few  years  before,  had  been  thrown  into  a  panic  by  a 
handful  of  French  Indians,  now  headed  by  Washington,  were  resolved, 
to  oppose  one  of  the  most  formidable  powers  in  Europe. — When  we 
consider,  how  wonderfully  he  inspired  union;  insomuch  that  all  the 
souls  of  thirteen  Colonies,  so  widely  distant  in  their  situation,  Re 
ligion,  Customs  and  Interests,  clave  to  him  even  as  one  man,  beyond 
all  conjecture  of  reason,  and  all  suspicion  of  Lord  North — when  we 
consider  how  miraculously,  this  man  was  preserved  to  us,  during  our 
long  and  critical  struggle,  notwithstanding  the  attempts  (one  or  two 
of  which  have  come  to  light)  that  were  made  to  take  him  from  us — 
when  we  consider,  how  wonderfully  he  kept  up  the  spirit,  and  the 
union,  of  these  states,  during  the  long  contest  of  eight  years,  notwith 
standing  the  many  horrors  and  distresses  of  war,  the  great  want  of 
luxuries  for  the  rich,  and  of  necessaries  and  pay  for  the  soldiers — and, 
after  the  establishment  of  Heaven-born  freedom  in  our  land;  how 
wonderfully,  his  parental  influence  led  the  people  of  these  states  to 
adopt  one  grand  system  of  pure  Republican  policy,  happily  uniting 
civil  liberty  with  effective  government — when,  I  say,  all  this  is  con 
sidered,  who  but  must  feel  a  sweet  flutter  of  hope  that  great  events  are 
connected  with  us,  and  that  God  has  sent  on  his  servant  Washington, 
as  a  Day-Star  to  some  mighty  Revolution,  big  with  blessings  to  man- 
16 


122  MASON  L.   WEEMS. 

» 

kind,  which  will  ere  long  dawn  on  the  land  where  Washington  was 
born? 

MASON  L.  WEEMS,  an  eccentric  clergyman  and  writer,  was  born  at  Dumfries,  Va.,  and 
died  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  May  23d,  1825.  He  studied  theology  in  London,  was  Rector  for 
several  years  of  Mount  Vernon  Parish,  and  subsequently  became  a  book-agent  for  Mathew 
Carey  of  Philadelphia,  traveling  in  that  capacity  extensively  over  the  Southern  States.  His 
Life  of  Washington  with  a  dedication  to  Mrs.  Washington,  published  at  Georgetown  [1800], 
under  the  title  "  A  History  of  the  Life  and  Death,  Virtues  and  Exploits  of  General  George 
Washington,  etc.,"  8vo,  is  a  curious  compound  of  enthusiasm,  exhortation  and  patriotism, 
presented  in  the  most  original  manner  and  in  the  quaintest  language.  Other  editions  subse 
quently  appeared  in  Philadelphia  and  Elizabeth-Town,  N.  J.  Our  quotation  taken  from  the 
second  edition,  Philadelphia  [1800],  is  what  maybe  termed  his  summing  up  of  the  character 
of  Washington  as  set  forth  in  the  text,  under  the  heads  of  Piety,  Patriotism,  Industry,  Benevo 
lence  and  Justice.  The  sixth  edition  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1808,  under  the  title  "The 
Life  of  George  Washington  with  curious  anecdotes  equally  honourable  to  himself  and  exem 
plary  to  his  young  countrymen,"  I2mo,  and  in  which  the  hatchet  story  first  appears,  is  quite 
a  different  production  from  the  preceding  editions,  being  almost  entirely  rewritten.  This  is 
the  book  as  it  is  printed  and  in  circulation  at  the  present  day,  and  of  which  so  many  editions 
have  been  issued. 


J.  M.  WILLIAMS. 

1800. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  was  in  his  person  about  six  feet  in  height, 
his  eyes  were  grey,  but  full  of  animation;  his  visage  was  serene,  and 
the  temper  of  his  thoughtful  mind  did  not  seem  disposed  to  the  fre 
quent  indulgence  of  mirth ;  his  limbs  were  well  proportioned  and 
muscular,  and  his  deportment  carried  an  air  of  majesty  and  solemnity 
in  it,  that  was  altogether  awful  to  folly;  though  no  man  did  more  for 
the  interests  of  human  nature  in  general,  yet  few  men  have  unbosomed 
themselves  with  more  circumspection  than  he  did,  to  any  particular 
individual;  but  this  habit  of  reserve  has  been  the  characteristic  of  the 
wisest  persons  that  ever  lived,  when  possessed  of  similar  authority — it 
has  been  asserted  that  he  was  never  seen  to  smile,  during  the  revolu 
tionary  war;  in  the  more  unrestrained  moments  of  private  intercourse, 
he  expressed  himself  with  perspicuity  and  diffidence,  but  seldom  used 
more  words  than  were  necessary  for  the  elucidation  of  his  opinion : 
the  lineaments  of  his  face  implied  that  he  was  an  older  man  than  he 
really  was;  but  the  weight  of  care,  that  must  necessarily  have  pressed 
upon  the  reflection  of  a  man,  engaged  in  such  a  continuity  of  vast 
enterprize  and  deep  responsibility,  could  not  fail  to  antedate  in  some 
degree,  the  works  of  time. 

The  graces  of  General  Washington's  person,  were  not  unfre- 
quently  instrumental  in  the  promotion  of  his  views;  the  advantages 

(123) 


124  /•  M-   WILLIAMS. 


resulting  from  natural  grace,  in  polished  and  even  in  savage  life,  are 
wonderfully  convictive ;  and  this  effect  will  not  be  amazing,  when  it  is 
known,  that  the  most  penetrating  analyzers  of  man,  and  his  attributes, 
have  determined  that  all  action  is  graceful,  in  proportion  as  the  im 
pulses  are  innocent;  nothing  that  is  vicious  or  abominable  can  be 
charming;  nor  does  it  breathe  or  exist  in  any  emotions  arising  from 
vanity  or  folly:  grace  is  the  sublimity  of  beauty;  it  is  a  quality  anala- 
gous  to  the  most  exquisite  tenderness  of  affection;  that  modest,  yet 
gay  illustration  of  action,  which  accompanies  pure  love :  gracefulness 
is  an  expression  of  dignified  pleasure;  but  that  high  order  of  pleasure 
is  not  ease,  it  is  something  more. 

As  a  didactic  writer,  he  can  scarcely  be  esteemed  too  much ;  his 
sentiments  have  a  force  and  fascination  to  restore  reason,  invigorate 
patriotism,  and  awaken  piety;  his  public  letters  and  documents  should 
be  engraved  upon  the  tablet  of  the  nation,  as  examples  of  profound 
sagacity,  genuine  integrity,  and  unaffected  humility :  they  should  be 
eternally  regarded,  in  a  political  interpretation,  as  "eyes  to  the  blind": 
his  simplicity  of  style  proves  him  to  have  been  guided  by  a  fine  taste; 
when  a  writer  is  verbose  or  glittering,  his  argument  is  weakened,  and 
none  but  the  unwise  can  admire  him. 

It  was  the  peculiar  honor  of  General  Washington,  not  only  to 
deserve,  but  to  enjoy  the  approbation  of  all  men  of  probity  in  either 
hemispheres ;  those  persons  who  had  been  his  opponents  in  Britain, 
from  an  attachment  to  their  sovereign  and  the  prevailing  councils  of 
the  hour,  became  his  friends  at  the  conclusion  of  a  peace,  from  con 
templating  the  moderation  of  his  deportment,  and  the  moral  energies 
of  his  mind;  and  some  of  the  more  distinguished,  considered  it  as  a 


/.  M.   WILLIAMS.  125 


reflected  merit,  to  be  in  the  habits  of  correspondence  and  the  inter 
change  of  civilities,  with  such  an  embellished  and  admirable  personage. 

He  had  the  urbanity  of  a  gentleman,  without  the  littleness  of 
pride;  and  in  the  very  plenitude  of  his  authority,  would  sheathe  a 
denial  so  kindly,  that  the  sting  of  disappointment  was  absorbed  in  the 
beauty  of  the  declaration :  he  embraced  the  delegation  to  rule,  as  a 
great  man  should;  not  to  indulge  the  luxury  of  the  senses,  or  the 
insatiate  aims  of  ambition,  but  for  the  blessed  purpose  of  dissemina 
ting  love  and  protection  to  all :  he  stood  as  a  preeminent  supporter  in 
society;  like  a  Tuscan  column,  with  sober  magnificence ;  plain,  strong, 
attractive  and  erect:  with  Atlantean  properties,  equal  to  more  than 
the  weight  he  had  sustained:  at  once  the  vital  principle  and  the  orna 
ment  of  that  constitution  he  had  sanctioned,  and  his  fame  will  be  co- 
eternal  with  the  existence  of  freedom. 

We  have  never  contemplated  the  character  of  a  magistrate  more 
inflexible  to  wrong,  nor  of  a  man  so  active  and  so  spotless,  in  any 
record,  either  ancient  or  modern:  he  did  more  for  imitation,  and  less 
for  repentance,  than  any  contemporary:  had  he  derived  his  ideas  of 
legislation  and  forbearance  from  the  statutes  of  the  golden  age,  he 
could  not  have  done  more  to  enforce  innocency  and  mutual  truth; 
and  he  confessedly  lived  to  make  mankind  better,  if  it  is  in  the  virtue 
of  an  individual  to  correct  our  frailty. 

Having  followed  this  august  statesman  to  the  sepulchre,  it  now 
devolves  upon  the  grateful  and  the  provident  of  his  countrymen,  to 
hang  it  round  with  symbols  of  regard,  and  inscribe  it  with  the  texts 
of  his  policy:  let  them  inform  a  future  age,  that  he  shunned  no  public 
question,  nor  omitted  any  duty;  in  the  cherishing  hope  that  other 


126  J.  M.   WILLIAMS. 


men  may  copy  the  impressive  example:  and  the  insinuation  of  hope 
makes  our  delusion  our  joy ;  but,  in  simplicity,  yet  force,  of  language  ; 
in  clearness  of  understanding  and  depth  of  judgment :  in  his  disdain  of 
any  commutation  with  falsehood  :  in  his  contempt  of  trivial  expedients, 
and  his  ability  to  make  that  spirit  governing  :  in  his  appropriation  of 
direct  remedies  for  national  evils,  and  in  his  majesty  of  character 
altogether,  we  have  seriously  to  apprehend  that  he  will  be  never 
equalled ;  he  had  all  the  decision  of  Cato,  without  his  coarseness — he 
had  raised  himself,  by  progressive  excellence,  above  the  tooth  of 
envy,  and  the  desperation  of  malice :  and  was  not  assailable  by  any 
mortal  hand : 

Nee  Jovis  ira,  nee  ignes, 

Nee  poterit  ferrum,  nee  edax  abolere  vetustas. 
Ovid,  Metam.  Lib.  15. 


THE  character  as  above  delineated,  is  extracted  from  a  "  Biographical  outline  of  General 
George  Washington,"  by  J.  M.  WILLIAMS,  printed  in  Washington's  Political  Legacies 
Boston,  1800,  and  also  in  Legacies  of  Washington,  Trenton,  1800.  The  biographical  out 
line  is  a  simple  statement  of  facts  suited  for  the  purpose  of  the  publications  mentioned.  Of 
the  author  we  have  no  particulars,  but  our  extracts  indicate  the  scholar  and  thinker. 


MALLET  DU  PAN. 

1800. 

IT  may  be  made  a  question  whether  Washington,  as  a  General 
and  Statesman,  equalled  in  genius  Prince  Eugene,  Frederick  II,  or 
Chatham?  But  how  is  it  possible  with  propriety  to  compare  men 
who  were  placed  in  situations  no  wise  analogous? 

Were  we  allowed  to  venture  an  opinion  on  this  subject,  we  would 
observe,  that  if  Washington  was  inferior  to  some  other  illustrious  men 
in  extent  and  boldness  of  mind,  he  surpassed  them  by  the  union  of 
qualities  and  talents  the  most  rarely  found  together,  and  by  a  character 
almost  faultless. 

Constitution,  soul,  and  intellect,  were  in  him  in  constant  harmony, 
and  perfectly  adapted  to  his  public  career.  It  might  be  said,  that 
Providence  had  created  him  for  the  part  he  has  sustained,  for  the  peo 
ple  he  governed,  and  for  the  circumstances  in  which  his  country  stood. 
At  Athens,  his  lot  would  have  been  that  of  Aristides  or  Phocion ;  in  a 
a  Republic  well  constituted  and  long  established,  his  services  would 
not  have  been  called  forth;  in  a  corrupt  Republic,  he  would  have 
chosen  a  private  station  as  the  post  of  honour. 

In  his  military  and  political  life,  wisdom  was  the  prominent  feature 
of  his  character.  It  is  given  to  few  men  to  possess  that  admirable 
moral  temperature  which  marked  all  the  actions  of  Washington.  His 
courage  and  his  talents  for  war  would  have  been  insufficient,  and  per- 

(127) 


128  MALLET  DU  PAN. 


haps  hurtful,  without  the  patience,  coolness,  and  equality  of  spirits, 
which  he  displayed  in  bad  as  well  as  good  fortune. 

At  the  head  of  the  Republic  he  preserved  the  same  uprightness 
and  the  same  spirit  of  conduct  by  which  he  had  been  guided  in  battle. 
He  was  indebted  to  the  excellence  of  his  judgment,  as  well  as  to  the 
ascendency  of  his  public  and  private  virtues,  for  the  permanence  of  the 
reputation  he  enjoyed.  His  speeches,  letters,  actions,  were  always 
marked  with  the  same  reason,  and  that  strong  good  sense  which  is  the 
highest  gift  of  Nature  to  a  public  man,  and  his  highest  merit;  that 
good  sense  which  alone  resists  the  agitations  of  the  soul,  and  corrects 
the  wanderings  of  the  understanding. 

The  habitual  moderation  of  Washington ;  his  firmness,  which  was 
ever  calm  and  well-timed;  his  prudence,  which  neither  difficulty  nor 
passion,  neither  hope  nor  fear,  could  shake ;  his  superiority  to  all  arti 
fice  and  intrigue;  and  his  artless  politics,  dictated  by  a  just  estimation 
of  times,  men,  and  things;  have  never  degenerated  for  a  moment. 
Placed  at  the  head  of  an  infant  Republic,  he  acquired  all  the  dignity 
usually  bestowed  on  high  offices  by  the  force  of  custom  and  of  ages ; 
and  he  preserved  it  as  if  he  had  ruled  America  for  a  century:  his  ad 
ministration  was  better  supported  by  respect  and  confidence,  than  by 
laws  or  armies. 

He  has  not  been  charged  with  a  vice  or  a  weakness.  No  one 
has  raised  a  doubt  of  his  integrity  or  his  disinterestedness.  Free  from 
ambition,  he  never  would  have  sought  superior  rank,  or  have  been 
anxious  to  make  a  figure :  he  was  led  to  them  by  his  services,  the 
general  esteem  he  attracted,  and  by  circumstances.  In  him  superiority 
was  pardoned;  the  jealousy  of  his  equals  vanished  before  the  admirable 


MALLET  DU  PAN.  129 


simplicity  of  his  manners,  the  purity  of  his  morals,  and  the  rectitude 
of  his  conduct.  In  short,  neither  a  vain  love  of  glory,  nor  the  desire 
of  distinction,  nor  any  personal  view,  ever  gave  a  bias  to  his  patriotism, 
which  was  the  principle  of  all  his  thoughts,  and  the  spring  of  all  his 
actions. 

If  the  title,  so  much  abused,  of  a  great  man,  ought  to  be  reserved 
for  one  whose  successes  never  injured  justice  or  honour,  and  in  whom 
great  virtues  united  with  great  talents,  who  shall  refuse  it  to  Washing 
ton  ?  *  *  *  * 

General  Washington  has  carried  with  him  to  the  tomb  the  gen 
eral  esteem  of  Europe.  His  conduct  had  compelled  even  his  enemies 
to  respect  him.  It  was  reserved  for  the  French  Republicans  alone  to 
differ  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  to  insult,  as  basely  as  grossly, 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  It  is  true,  that  he  had  very  wisely 
forseen,  and  so  early  as  the  year  1789,  the  horrible  career  -of  a  Revo 
lution,  which  set  out  with  overthrowing  all  public  order;  which,  form 
ing  crime  into  theory,  made  patriotism  to  consist  in  assassination,  and 
liberty  in  the  impunity  of  every  outrage  against  the  freedom  of  the 
citizens. 

The  national  gratitude  of  America  has  honoured  the  memory  of 
Washington  by  public  testimonies  of  grief,  and  by  solemnizing  the 
funeral  of  her  illustrious  Chief  in  the  most  distinguished  manner. 

Washington  has  quitted  life  without  the  slightest  diminution  of 
his  glory,  tranquility,  and  happiness.  He  died  on  fields  cultivated  by 
himself,  in  the  bosom  of  his  country,  of  his  family,  of  his  friends ;  and 
the  veneration  of  America  accompanied  him  to  the  grave. 


1 30  MALLET  DU  PAN. 


JACQUES  MALLET  DU  PAN  was  born  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  in  1749,  and  died  at  Rich 
mond,  England,  May  loth,  1800.  He  went  to  Paris  in  1784,  and  became  editor  of  the  politi 
cal  division  of  a  journal  called  the  Merciire  de  France,  which  was  quite  successful.  In  the 
Revolution  he  defended  the  royal  cause,  and,  in  r  792,  was  compelled  to  suspend  the  publica 
tion  of  the  journal.  He  then  went  to  London,  and  in  1798,  was  installed  as  editor  of  the 
Mercure  Brittanique,  which  was  ranked  among  the  ablest  political  papers  of  the  time.  The 
character  preceding  was  written  shortly  after  the  death  of  Washington,  for  the  Mercure 
Brittanique,  and  quoted  in  an  "  Account  of  George  Washington,"  published  in  the  European 
Magazine  for  March  and  April,  1 800,  the  introduction  to  which  is  as  follows  :  "  Time  which 
moderates  the  virulence  of  parties,  has  at  length  in  its  revolution  brought  on  that  period  in 
which  the  life  of  this  great  man  may  be  viewed  free  from  those  prejudices,  both  for  and 
against  him,  which  have  been  heretofore  entertained.  Death  has  put  the  seal  to  his  fame, 
and  his  character  and  conduct  will  now  be  admitted  to  have  been  deserving  of  every  tribute 
of  praise  which  have  been  bestowed  upon  them.  His  coolness  in  danger,  his  firmness  in  dis 
tress,  his  moderation  in  the  hour  of  victory,  his  resignation  of  power,  and  his  meritorious  de 
portment  in  private  life,  have  established  a  name  which  will  go  down  to  posterity  with  those 
who  have  deserved  well  of  their  country — with  those  who  are  entitled  to  be  considered  the 
benefactors  of  mankind." 


JOHN  CORRY. 

1800. 

WASHINGTON  was  tall,  erect,  and  well  made,  but  thin.  His  eyes 
were  light  blue,  his  nose  rather  long,  and  his  countenance  expressive 
of  extreme  sensibility.  His  demeanor  was  dignified  and  modest. 
"There  was  a  mild  serenity  in  his  deportment;  he  was  slow  and 
moderate  in  his  resentments ;  and  if  he  had  faults,  he  must  have  been 
sensible  of  them,  and  was  very  successful  in  concealing  them  from  the 
world."  He  was  affable,  generous,  and  conscientious.  His  valuable 
library,  and  a  correspondence  with  eminent  men,  furnished  him  with 
a  rich  fund  of  knowledge ;  and  the  productions  of  his  pen  are  perspic 
uous  and  sensible.  He  was  an  affectionate  husband,  a  disinterested 
friend,  a  benign  master,  and  a  benefactor  to  the  indigent.  He  prac 
tised  the  social  virtues  not  merely  because  they  were  enjoined  by 
religion,  but  from  his  innate  love  of  rectitude. 

The  similarity  between  his  public  virtues  and  those  of  Alfred  the 
Great  is  admirable.  These  extraordinary  men  were  both  celebrated  for 
their  love  of  justice,  their  fortitude,  patriotism,  and  piety.  When 
Alfred  exchanged  the  military  garb  for  that  of  the  peasant,  he  suffered 
a  greater  reverse  of  fortune  than  ever  befel  Washington ;  and  when 
in  disguise  he  explored  the  camp  of  the  Danes,  and  lulled  suspicion 
by  the  melody  of  his  harp,  he  evinced  a  more  enterprising  genius  than 
the  American.  The  capture  of  the  Hessians  at  Trenton,  however, 

(130 


1 32  JOHN  CORRY. 


reminds  us  of  the  achievement  of  Alfred;  who,  by  surprising  the 
Danish  camp,  revived  the  hopes  of  his  countrymen.  Washington 
founded  a  republic;  he  was  instrumental  to  the  establishment  of  its 
polity,  and  retired  "with  all  his  blushing  honours  thick  upon  him"; 
obedient  to  the  will  of  his  country,  he  resumed  the  command  of  her 
armies,  and  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  true  patriot.  Alfred,  by  the  subju 
gation  of  his  country's  enemies,  secured  her  liberties  and  peace;  he 
was  "her  voice  in  council,  in  the  field  her  sword."  As  a  legislator, 
he  immortalized  his  name  by  the  institution  of  a  trial  by  jury;  as  a 
magistrate,  he  presided  with  unparalled  wisdom ;  the  sceptre  of  power 
was  consecrated  by  his  hand;  and  he  was  beloved,  revered,  nay, 
almost  deified,  by  his  countrymen.  Washington,  in  some  instances, 
seems  to  have  been  undecided :  Alfred  was  energetic  and  determined 
in  every  emergency.  Though  their  virtues  were  homogeneal,  Alfred 
claims  the  palm  for  ardour  and  brilliancy  of  genius:  Washington  ex 
celled  him  in  discretion  ;  he  weighed  the  consequences  of  every  step, 
and  his  prudence  triumphed  over  opposition.  In  short,  Alfred  the 
Great  was  like  the  rising  sun,  which  breaking  through  a  dark  cloud, 
illumines  and  beautifies  the  creation.  His  superior  mind  shone  with 
an  effulgence  that  dissipated  the  gloom  of  superstition  and  ignorance 
which  surrounded  him,  and,  like  the  Vicegerent  of  Heaven,  he  pro 
moted  the  happiness  of  the  human  species.  Washington  the  Great 
was  like  the  declining  sun  that  adorns  the  face  of  nature  with  the 
mildest  radiance ;  his  actions,  though  not  so  brilliant  as  those  of 
Alfred,  were  more  imitable ;  and  the  virtuous  American  will  be  es 
teemed  by  posterity  as  worthy  to  stand  in  the  same  rank  with  the 
more  illustrious  Englishman.  *  *  *  * 


JOHN  CORRY.  133 


Perhaps  the  only  instance  in  which  the  public  conduct  of  Wash 
ington  was  censurable,  was  his  condemnation  of  the  unfortunate  Andre. 
It  must  be  owned  that  he  was  a  slave-holder,  and  his  exemplary  kind 
ness  to  his  dependents  cannot  reconcile  us  to  that  inconsistency  in  a 
man  who  was  so  strenuous  and  successful  an  asserter  of  liberty. 

But  these  errors  of  the  American  hero  were  concealed  by  the  daz-  • 
zling  lustre  of  his  virtues.     Our  admiration  is  excited  when  we  contem 
plate  the  series  of  his  actions. 

When  we  behold  him  at  the  head  of  the  army,  then  President  of  the 
Senate,  and  afterwards  breathing  the  pure  air  of  his  fields  in  the  shade 
of  his  retirement,  we  confess  that  the  venerable  philosopher  has  attained 
what  may  be  called  the  sublime  of  human  nature.  Just  as  Aristides, 
we  behold  him  set  his  seal  to  that  solemn  engagement  by  which  he 
emancipates  those  slaves  who  were  deprived  of  their  liberties  by  the 
avarice  of  his  ancestors ;  and,  actuated  by  the  purest  beneficence,  he 
endows  seminaries  for  the  promotion  of  knowledge. 

In  his  comprehensive  mind  were  united  the  disinterestedness  of 
Cincinnatus,  the  munificence  of  Cyrus  the  Great,  and  the  piety  of  Mar 
cus  Aurelius.  We  may  say  of  him  a>  Augustus  did  of  Cicero,  "he 
was  an  honest  man,  and  loved  his  courtry." 


THE  "  Sketch  of  the  life  of  the  late  General  Washington,"  by  JOHN  CORRY,  printed  in 
the  British  Magazine,  February  to  June,  1 800,  possesses  much  interest  as  being  the  first  of 
any  importance,  prepared  in  England.  This  production  is,  however,  almost  entirely  different 
from  the  Life  as  published  in  London  the  same  year,  in  a  I2mo  volume,  and  from  which 
we  extract  the  above  parallel  between  Washington  and  Alfred  the  Great.  This  Life  has 
been  frequently  published  in  this  country,  with  variations  in  the  title  and  alterations  of  the 
text,  but,  however  changed  in  substance  or  form,  the  opening  paragraph  has  been  always 
retained,  thus  serving  as  a  means  of  identification.  This  paragraph  is  as  follows  :  "  In  the 


I34  JOHN  CORRY. 


history  of  man,  we  contemplate  with  particular  satisfaction  those  legislators  and  heroes  whose 
wisdom  and  valour  have  conributed  to  the  happiness  of  the  human  species.  We  trace  the 
luminous  progress  of  those  excellent  beings  with  secret  complacency;  our  emulation  is 
roused,  while  we  behold  them  steadily  pursue  the  path  of  rectitude  in  defiance  of  every  ob 
struction;  we  rejoice  that  we  are  of  the  same  species,  and  thus  self-love  becomes  the  hand 
maid  of  virtue."  From  the  preface  to  the  edition,  I2mo,  printed  by  Joseph  Charless  at  Phila 
delphia  in  1801,  we  make  the  following  quotation :  "  The  virtues  of  Washington  require  no 
adventitious  embellishment ;  like  the  sun,  they  are  visible  by  their  own  lustre.  Yet,  if  on 
some  occasions  the  author  has  been  led  by  enthusiasm  to  panygeric,  those  effusions  of  a  heart 
enamoured  of  virtue  were  involuntary,  for  he  is  convinced  that  the  achievements  of  his  hero, 
are" 

"  Above  all  Greek,  above  all  Roman  fame." 


ANONYMOUS. 

IN  no  one  thing  has  the  world  been  so  much  deceived,  as  in  the 
article  of  what  is  commonly  called  Great  Men.  Most  of  them,  upon 
a  nearer,  and  closer  inspection,  have  been  found  to  be  either  great 
hypocrites,  or  great  robbers! — Not  so  the  man  whose  character  is 
now  attempted  to  be  delineated. — Whether  in  public  or  in  private,  he 
was  still  the  same ;  and  in  that  humble,  but  useful  and  honourable 
employment,  a  Farmer,  he  pointed  the  way  to  Fortune,  as,  in  his 
public  capacities,  he  had  pointed  the  way  to  Fame ;  eminently  proving, 
in  his  own  person,  the  difference  between  a  system  of  method  and 
economy,  and  a  course  of  idleness  and  dissipation. 

By  his  regular  and  economical  conduct,  Mr.  Washington  became 
one  of  the  extensive  and  opulent  Farmers  on  the  continent.  He  had 
about  10,000  acres  of  land  attached  to  his  seat  of  Mount  Vernon, 
where  he  combined  theory  with  practice,  and,  by  successive  improve 
ments,  rendered  his  grounds  highly  productive.  Including  his  house 
hold  servants,  and  those  who  worked  upon  the  farm,  he  daily  main 
tained  about  one  thousand  persons,  all  of  whom  moved  and  acted 
according  to  the  rules  of  a  strict,  but  beneficent  system.  Like  a  well- 
regulated  clock,  the  whole  machine  moved  in  perfect  time  and  order. — 
The  effects  were,  that  he  was  completely  independent,  and  died  pos 
sessed  of  a  great  property. 

It  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Washington's  education  was  either 

(135) 


136  ANONYMOUS. 


classical  or  extensive;  a  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  with  a 
portion  of  geography  and  mathematics,  seem  to  have  been  the  whole 
of  his  juvenile  improvements.  Altho'  his  grammatical  instructions 
could  not  be  very  accurate,  he  notwithstanding,  attained,  by  dint  of 
study  and  observation,  a  proficiency  in  the  writing  of  English, 
smooth,  uniform,  and  even  dignified — he  wrote  in  a  style  that  has 
extorted  tlje  approbation  of  the  most  fastidious  critics.  He  is  an 
eminent  proof,  that  a  man  may  become  an  able  General  without 
having  read  Caesar  in  the  original,  and  an  able  politician  without 
having  studied  either  the  Greek  or  Roman  authors. 

With  a  tall,  majestic  person,  and  a  manly  countenance,  he  had  a 
strong  but  well-governed  mind — his  perceptions  were  not  quick,  but, 
when  once  he  did  take  a  position,  it  was  generally  well  chosen,  and 
firmly  adhered  to — Neither  wit  nor  vivacity  brightened  his  features ; 
it  was  a  face  of  care,  of  thought,  and  of  caution;  all  was  calmness  and 
deliberation — Washington's  great  forte  was  prudence,  or  discretion; 
it  covered  him  like  a  shield  in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  it  was  his  sure 
guide  in  the  day  of  prosperity;  by  this  single  talent,  he  acquired  all 
his  wealth,  and  obtained  all  his  celebrity. — Whilst  he  fulfiled  all  the 
relative  duties,  he  was  obedient  to  every  temperate  rule,  and  every 
moral  principle;  and  knowing  its  vast  importance  both  to  individual 
and  national  happiness,  he  paid  a  proper  respect  to  the  observances  of 

Religion. 

\ 

THE  Character  of  Washington  given  above,  will  be  found  quoted  at  the  end  of  "  Bio 
graphical  Memoirs  of  the  Illustrious  General  George  Washington,  Late  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  their  Armies  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,"  New  Haven,  Sidney's  Press,  1809,  i6mo.  The  Biography,  is  one  of  the  numerous 


ANONYMOUS.  137 


versions  of  the  Life  by  John  Cony  (see  page  133),  and  the  character,  stated  to  be  by  a 
Scotch  Traveller,  of  whom  we  have  no  information,  was  written  in  all  probability  shortly 
after  the  death  of  Washington.  It  will  also  be  found  in  a  "  Life  of  George  Washington, 
Late  President  etc.,"  published  by  Isaiah  Thomas,  Jun.,  Boston:  1815;  i6mo.  The  follow 
ing  obituary,  the  substance  of  which  originally  appeared  in  the  True  American,  Philadelphia, 
Dec.  19,  1799,  forms  part  of  the  contents  of  these  volumes,  which  in  this  respect  are  the  same. 
"On  Saturday  the  I4th  inst.  died  at  his  seat  in  Virginia,  General  George  Washington,  Com 
mander  in  Chief  of  the  Armies,  and  late  President  of  the  Congress,  of  the  United  States  of 
America — mature  in  years,  covered  with  glory,  and  rich  in  the  affections  of  a  free  people,  and 
the  admiration  of  the  whole  civilized  world.  When  men  of  common  character  are  swept 
from  the  theatre  of  life,  they  die  without  the  tribute  of  public  concern,  as  they  had  lived  with 
out  a  claim  to  public  esteem — But  when  Personages  of  great  and  exalted  worth,  are  summoned 
from  this  sublunary  scene,  their  death  calls  forth  a  burst  of  general  regret,  and  invigorates  the 
flame  of  public  gratitude — In  obedience  therefore  to  the  voice  of  their  Country,  the  Poet,  the 
Orator,  and  the  Historian,  will  combine  to  do  justice  to  the  character  of  this  illustrious  Patriot : 
whilst  the  ingenious  labours  of  the  Sculptor,  the  Statuary,  and  the  Painter,  will  unite  in  per 
petuating  the  virtues  of  THE  MAN  OF  THE  AGE. 


18 


ANONYMOUS. 

THE  following  eulogy  is  said  to  have  been  written  in  monumental 
form  in  two  columns,  by  an  unknown  English  gentleman,  and  pasted 
by  him  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  Sharpless  crayon  portraits  of  Wash 
ington,  made  in  1796.  The  portrait  was  owned  by  John  R.  Smith  of 
Philadelphia,  and  was  in  his  possession  in  1804,  as  stated  by  Benson 
J.  Lossing,  in  his  "  Mount  Vernon  and  its  Associations,"  published  in 
1859,  fr°m  which  volume  this  admirable  tribute  is  transcribed. 

WASHINGTON, 

The  DEFENDER  of  his  COUNTRY, 
The  FOUNDER  of  LIBERTY, 

The  FRIEND  of  MAN. 
HISTORY  and  TRADITION  are  explored  in  vain 

For  a  Parallel  to  his  Character. 
In  the  Annals  of  MODERN  GREATNESS, 

He  stands  alone, 

And  the  noblest  Names  of  Antiquity 
Lose  their  Lustre  in  his  Presence. 

Born  the  Benefactor  of  Mankind, 
He  was  signally  endowed  with  all  the  Qualities 

Appropriate  to  his  Illustrious  Career. 
(138) 


ANONYMOUS.  139 


Nature  made  him  Great, 
And,  Heaven  directed, 
He  made  himself  Virtuous. 

Called  by  his  Country  to  the  Defence  of.  her  Soil 

And  the  vindication  of  her  Liberties, 

He  led  to  the  Field 

Her  Patriot  Armies; 

And  displaying  in  rapid  and  brilliant  succession, 

The  united  Powers 
Of  Consummate  Prudence 

And  Heroic  Valour, 

He  triumphed  in  Arms 

Over  the  most  powerful  Nation 

Of  Modern  Europe ; 
His  Sword  giving  Freedom  to  America, 
His  Counsels  breathing  Peace  to  the  world. 

After  a  short  repose 
From  the  tumultuous  Vicissitudes 

Of  a  Sanguinary  War, 
The  astounding  Energies  of 

WASHINGTON 

Were  again  destined  to  a  New  Course 
Of  Glory  and  Usefulness. 

The  Civic  Wreath 
Was  spontaneously  placed 


1 40  ANONYMOUS. 


By  the  Gratitude  of  the  Nation, 
On  the  brow  of  the  DELIVERER  of  his  COUNTRY. 

He  was  twice  solemnly  invested 

With  the  Powers  of  Supreme  Magistracy, 

By  the  Unanimous  Voice  of 

A  Free  People ; 
And  in  his  EXALTED  and  ARDUOUS  station, 

His  Wisdom  in  the  Cabinet 
Transcended  the  Glories  of  the  Field. 

The  Destinies  of  Washington 

Were  now  complete. 

Having  passed  the  Meridian  of  a  Devoted  Life, 

Having  founded  on  the  Pillars 

Of  NATIONAL  INDEPENDENCE 

The  SPLENDID  FABRIC 

Of  a  Great  Republic, 

And  having  firmly  established 

The  Empire  of  the  West, 

He  solemnly  deposited  on  the  Altar  of  his  Country, 

His  Laurels  and  his  Sword, 

And  retired  to  the  Shades 

Of  PRIVATE  LIFE. 
A  Spectacle  so  New  and  so  Sublime, 

Was  contemplated  by  Mankind 

With  the  Profoundest  admiration; 

And  the  name  of  WASHINGTON, 


ANONYMOUS.  141 


Adding  new  Lustre  to  Humanity, 

Resounded 
To  the  remotest  regions  of  the  Earth. 

Magnanimous  in  Youth, 
Glorious  through  Life, 

Great  in  Death, 

His  highest  Ambition 

The  Happiness  of  Mankind, 

His  noblest  victory 

The  Conquest  of  Himself. 

Bequeathing  to  America 

The  Inheritance  of  his  Fame, 

And  building  his  Monument 

In  the  Hearts  of  his  Countrymen, 

He  Lived, 
The  Ornament  of  the  i8th  Century; 

He  Died, 
LAMENTED  BY  A  MOURNING  WORLD. 


JOHN  MARSHALL. 
1 804-7. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  was  rather  above  the  common  size,  his 
frame  was  robust,  and  his  constitution  vigorous,  capable  of  enduring 
great  fatigue,  and  requiring  a  considerable  degree  of  exercise  for  the 
preservation  of  his  health.  His  exterior  created  in  the  beholder  the 
idea  of  strength  united  with  manly  gracefulness. 

His  manners  were  rather  reserved  than  free,  though  they  partook 
nothing  of  that  dryness  and  sternness  which  accompany  reserve  when 
carried  to  an  extreme;  and  on  all  proper  occasions,  he  could  relax 
sufficiently  to  show  how  highly  he  was  gratified  by  the  charms  of 
conversation,  and  the  pleasures  of  society.  His  person  and  whole 
deportment  exhibited  an  unaffected  and  indescribable  dignity,  un- 
mingled  with  haughtiness,  of  which  all  who  approached  him  were 
sensible;  and  the  attachment  of  those  who  possessed  his  friendship 
and  enjoyed  his  intimacy,  was  ardent  but  always  respectful. 

His  temper  was  humane,  benevolent,  and  conciliatory;  but  there 
was  a  quickness  in  his  sensibility  to  any  thing  apparently  offensive, 
which  experience  had  taught  him  to  watch  and  to  correct. 

In  the  management  of  his  private  affairs  he  exhibited  an  exact 
yet  liberal  economy.     His  funds  were  not  prodigally  wasted  on  capri 
cious  and  ill  examined   schemes,   nor  refused  to  beneficial   though 
costly  improvements.      They  remained  therefore  competent  to   that 
(142) 


JOHN  MARSHALL.  143 

expensive  establishment  which  his  reputation,  added  to  a  hospitable 
temper,  had  in  some  measure  imposed  upon  him ;  and  to  those  dona 
tions  which  real  distress  has  a  right  to  claim  from  opulence. 

He  made  no  pretensions  to  that  vivacity  which  fascinates,  or  to 
that  wit  which  dazzles  and  frequently  imposes  on  the  understanding. 
More  solid  than  brilliantrjudgment  rather  than  genius  constituted  the 
jnost  prominentjeature  of  his  character. 

As  a  military  man,  he  was  brave,  enterprising,  and  cautious. 
That  malignity  which  has  sought  to  strip  him  of  all  the  higher  quali 
ties  of  a  general,  has  conceded  to  him  personal  courage,  and  a  firmness 
of  resolution  which  neither  dangers  nor  difficulties  could  shake.  But 
candour  will  allow  him  other  great  and  valuable  endowments.  If  his 
military  course  does  not  abound  with  splendid  achievements,  it  exhibits 
a  series  of  judicious  measures  adapted  to  circumstances,  which  prob 
ably  saved  his  country. 

Placed,  without  having  studied  the  theory,  or  been  taught  in  the 
school  of  experience,  the  practice  of  war,  at  the  head  of  an  undisci 
plined,  ill  organized  multitude  which  was  unused  to  the  restraints  and 
unacquainted  with  the  ordinary  duties  of  a  camp,  without  the  aid  of 
officers  possessing  those  lights  which  the  commander  in  chief  was  yet 
to  acquire,  it  would  have  been  a  miracle  indeed  had  his  conduct  been 
absolutely  faultless.  But,  possessing  an  energetic  and  distinguishing 
mind,  on  which  the  lessons  of  experience  were  never  lost,  his  errors, 
if  he  committed  any,  were  quickly  repaired;  and  those  measures  which 
the  state  of  things  rendered  most  advisable  were  seldom  if  ever  ne 
glected.  Inferior  to  his  adversary  in  the  numbers,  in  the  equipment, 
and  in  the  discipline  of  his  troops,  it  is  evidence  of  real  merit  that  no 


144  JOHN  MARSHALL. 


great  and  decisive  advantages  were  ever  obtained  over  him,  and  that 
the  opportunity  to  strike  an  important  blow  never  passed  away  unused. 
He  has  been  termed  the  American  Fabius;  but  those  who  compare 
his  actions  with  his  means  will  perceive  at  least  as  much  of  Marcellus 
as  of  Fabius  in  his  character.  H4  could  not  have  been  more  enterpris 
ing  without  endangering  the  causb  he  defended,  nor  have  put  more  to 
hazard  without  incurring  justly  the  imputation  of  rashness.  Not  rely- 
ing^upon  those  chances  which  sometimes  give  a  favourable  issue  to 
attemp_ts_apparently  desperate,  his  conduct  was  regulated  by  calcula- 
tions  made  upon  the  capacities  of  his  army,  and  the  real  situation  of  his 
country.  When  called  a  second  time  to  command  the  armies  of  the 
United  States,  a  change  of  circumstances  had  taken  place,  and  he 
meditated  a  corresponding  change  of  conduct.  In  modelling  the 
army  of  1798,  he  sought  for  men  distinguished  for  their  boldness  of 
execution,  not  less  than  for  their  prudence  in  counsel,  and  contem 
plated  a  system  of  continued  attack.  "The  enemy,"  said  the  general 
in  his  private  letters,"  must  never  be  permitted  to  gain  foothold  on 
our  shores." 

In  his  civil  administration,  as  in  his  military  career,  were  ex 
hibited  ample  and  repeated  proofs  of  that  practical  good  sense,  of  that 
sound  judgment  which  is  perhaps  the  most  rare,  and  is  certainly  the 
most  valuable  quality  of  the  human  mind.  Devoting  himself  to  the 
duties  of  his  station,  and  pursuing  no  object  distinct  from  the  public 
good,  he  was  accustomed  to  contemplate  at  a  distance  those  critical 
situations  in  which  the  United  States  might  probably  be  placed ;  and 
to  digest,  before  the  occasion  required  action,  the  line  of  conduct 
which  it  would  be  proper  to  observe.  Taught  to  distrust  first  impres- 


JOHN  MARSHALL.  145 

1 
sions,  tie  sought  to  acquire  all  the  information  which  was  obtainable, 

and  to  hear,  without  prejudice,  all  the  reasons  which  could  be  urged 
for  or  against  a  particular  measure.  His  own  judgment  was  sus 
pended  until  it  became  necessary  to  determine,  and  his  decisions,  thus 
maturely  made,  were  seldom  if  ever  to  be  shaken.  His  conduct  there 
fore  was  systematic,  and  the  great  objects  of  his  administration  were 
steadily  pursued. 

Respecting,  as  the  first  magistrate  in  a  free  government  must 
ever  do,  the  real  and  deliberate  sentiments  of  the  people,  their  gusts 
of  passion  passed  over  without  ruffling  the  smooth  surface  of  his  mind. 

Trusting  J-rt  i-hf*  r^fWfi'nf-r  gr>nrl  c^ng^  of  the  nation  for  approbation 

•» 
ajid  support,  he  had  the  magnanimity  to  pursue  its  real  interests  in 

opposition  to  its  temporary  prejudices;  a**i,  thnngh  _far__frnm  being 
regardless  of  popular  favour,  he  could  never  stoop  to  retain  by  deserv- 
ing_tolose  it.  In  more  instances  than  one,  we  find  him  committing 
his  whole  popularity-To  hazard,  and  p"ursuing  steadily,  in  opposition 
to  a  torrent  which  would  have  overwhelmed  a  man  of  ordinary  firm 
ness,  that  ""Mi""1  whi"h  hrH  b^n  dirfpteH  by  a  qpngp  pf  duty. 

In  speculation  he  was  a  real  republican,  devoted  to  the  constitu 
tion  of  his  country,  and  to  that  system  of  equal  political  rights  on 
which  it  is  founded.  __But  between  a  balanced  republic  and  a  dqmoc- 
racyf  the  difference  is  like  that  between  order  and  chaos.  Real  liberty, 
he_thought,  was  to  be  preserved  only  by  preserving  the  authority  of 
fhe  la.w.s,  and  maintaining  the  energy  of  government.  Scarcely  did 
society  present  two  characters  which,  in  his  opinion,  less  resembled 
each  other  thjin  a  patriot  and  a  demagogue. 

No  man  has  ever  appeared   upon  the  theatre   of  public  action 


146  JOHN  MARSHALL. 


whose  integrity  was  more  incorruptible,  or  whose  principles  were 
more  perfectly  free  from  the  contamination  of  those  selfish  and  un 
worthy  passions  which  find  their  nourishment  in  the  conflicts  of  party. 
Having  no  views  which  required  concealment,  his  real  and  avowed 
motives  were  the  same ;  and_jiis_wjic>le  corresponds n^  dnp?,  not  fur,- 
nish  a  single  case  from  which  even  an  enemy  would  infer  that  he  was 
capable,  under  any  circumstances,  of  stooping  to  the  emplpvjrient  of 
duplicity.  No  truth  can  be  uttered  with  more  confidence  than  that 
his  ends  were  always  upright,  and  his  means  always  pure.  He  ex 
hibits  the  rare  example  of  a  politician  to  whom  wiles  were  absolutely 
unknown,  and  whose  professions  to  foreign  governments  and  to  his 
own  countrymen  were  always  sincere.  In  him  was  fully  exemplified 
the  real  distinction  which  forever  exists  between  wisdom!  and  cunning, 
and  the  importance  as  well  as  truth  of  the  maxim  that  "  honesty  is 
the  best  policy." 

If  Washington  possessed  ambition,  that  passion  was,  in  his  bosom, 
so  regulated  by  principles,  or  controlled  by  circumstances,  that  it  was 
neither  vicious  nor  turbulent.  Intrigue  was  never  employed  as  the 
means  of  its  gratification,  nor  was  personal  aggrandizement  its  object. 
The  various  high  and  important  stations  to  which  he  was  called  by  the 
public  voice  were  unsought  by  himself;  and  in  consenting  to  fill  them, 
he  seems  rather  to  have  yielded  to  a  general  conviction  that  the  interests 
of  his  country  would  be  thereby  promoted,  than  to  his  particular 
inclination. 

Neither  the  extraordinary  partiality  of  the  American  people,  the 
extravagant  praises  which  were  bestowed  upon  him,  nor  the  inveterate 
opposition  and  malignant  calumnies  which  he  experienced,  had  any 


JOHN  MARSHALL.  147 

visible  influence  upon  his  conduct.  The  cause  is  to  be  looked  for  in 
the  texture  of  his  mind. 

In  him,  that  innate  and  unassuming  modesty  which  adulation 
would  have  offended,  which  the  voluntary  plaudits  of  millions  could 
not  betray  into  indiscretion,  and  which  never  obtruded  upon  others  his 
claims  to  superior  consideration,  was  happily  blended  with  a  high  and 
correct  sense  of  personal  dignity,  and  with  a  just  consciousness  of  that 
respect  which  is  due  to  station,  Wjthout  exertion,  he_could_rnaintain 
thp  happy  mHi'i™  h^tw^n  t^af  arrogance  which  wounds,  and  that 
facility  which  allows  the  office  to  be  degraded  in^ihg  person  who  fills  it 

It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  the  great  events  which  have  oc 
curred  in  the  United  States  under  the  auspices  of  Washington,  without 
ascribing  them,  in  some  measure,  to  him.  If  we  ask  the  causes  of  the 
prosperous  issue  of  a  war,  against  the  successful  termination  of  which 
there  were  so  many  probabilities?  of  the  good  which  was  produced, 
and  the  ill  which  was  avoided  during  an  administration  fated  to  contend 
with  the  strongest  prejudices  that  a  combination  of  circumstances  and 
of  passions  could  produce?  of  the  constant  favour  of  the  great  mass  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  and  of  the  confidence  which,  to  the  last  moment  of 
his  life,  they  reposed  in  him  ?  the  answer,  so  far  as  these  causes  may 
be  found  in  his  character,  will  furnish  a  lesson  well  meriting  the  atten 
tion  of  those  who  are  candidates  for  political  fame. 

Endowed  by  nature  with  a  sound  judgment,  and  an  accurate  dis 
criminating  mind,  he  feared  not  that  laborious  attention  which  made 
him  perfectly  master  of  those  subjects,  in  all  their  relations,  on  which 
he  was  to  decide :  and  this  essential  quality  was  guided  by  an  unvary 
ing  sense  of  moral  right,  which  would  tolerate  the  employment  only  of 


i48  JOHN  MARSHALL. 


those  means  that  would  bear  the  most  rigid  examination ;  by  a  fairness 
of  intention  which  neither  sought  nor  required  disguise:  ajid  t)ya 
purity  of  virtue  which  was  not  only  untainted,  but  unsuspected. 

JOHN  MARSHALL  was  born  at  Germantown,  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  September  24th, 
1755,  and  died  at  Philadelphia,  July  6th,  1835.  He  entered  with  ardor  into  the  revolutionary 
struggle;  was  a  lieutenant  in  1776,  a  captain  in  May,  1777,  and  fought  at  Brandywine,  Ger 
mantown,  and  Monmouth.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  in  1799,  and  offered  the  resolu 
tions  on  the  death  of  Washington,  prepared  by  Henry  Lee,  in  the  beautiful  address  given  on 
page  54.  After  serving  in  various  prominent  public  positions,  he  was  made  Chief  Justice  of 
the  United  States,  January  3151,  1801,  which  office  he  filled  with  distinguished  reputation  and 
unsullied  dignity,  until  his  death.  His  "  Life  of  George  Washington,  Commander  in  Chief, 
etc.  etc.,"  5  vols.,  8vo.  London  and  Philadelphia,  1804-7, — the  first  volume,  however,  being 
devoted  to  a  history  of  the  American  Colonies — was  the  first  important  and  is  the  best  biog 
raphy  of  Washington.  Our  quotation  is  the  conclusion  of  the  last  volume.  Judge  Story  re 
ferring  to  this  work  in  his  sketch  of  the  author,  in  the  "  National  Portrait  Gallery,"  says, 
"  The  Life  of  Washington  is  indeed  entitled  to  a  very  high  rank,  as  it  was  prepared  from  a 
diligent  perusal  of  the  original  papers  of  that  great  man,  which  were  submitted  to  the  liberal 
use  of  his  biographer.  It  does  not  affect  to  deal  with  mere  private  and  personal  anecdotes, 
to  amuse  the  idle  or  the  vicious.  Its  object  is  to  expound  the  character  and  public  services 
of  Washington,  and  to  give  a  faithful  outline  of  his  principles  and  measures."  A  French 
edition  in  five  vols.  was  published  in  1807,  and  an  edition  in  two  vols.  without  the  introduc 
tion  or  Colonial  history,  at  Philadelphia,  in  1832. 


AARON  BANCROFT. 

1807. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  was  exactly  six  feet  in  height,  he  appeared 
taller,  as  his  shoulders  rose  a  little  higher  than  the  true  proportion. 
His  eyes  were  of  a  grey,  and  his  hair  of  a  brown  colour.  His  limbs 
were  well  formed,  and  indicated  strength.  His  complexion  was  light, 
and  his  countenance  serene  and  thoughtful.  His  manners  were  grace 
ful,  manly  and  dignified.  His  general  appearance  never  failed  to  en 
gage  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  approached  him. 

Possessing  strong  natural  passions,  and  having  the  nicest  feelings 
of  honour,  he  was  in  early  life  prone  keenly  to  resent  practices  which 
carried  the  intention  of  abuse  or  insult;  but  the  reflections  of  maturer 
age  gave  him  the  most  perfect  government  of  himself.  He  possessed 
a  faculty  above  all  other  men  to  hide  the  weaknesses  inseparable  from 
human  nature;  and  he  bore  with  meekness  and  equanimity  his  distin 
guished  honours. 

Reserved,  but  not  haughty,  in  his  disposition,  he  was  accessible 
to  all  in  concerns  of  business,  but  he  opened  himself  only  to  his  con 
fidential  friends;  and  no  art  or  address  could  draw  from  him  an 
opinion,  which  he  thought  prudent  to  conceal. 

He  was  not  so  much  distinguished  for  brilliancy  of  genius  as  for 
solidity  of  judgment,  and  consummate  prudence  of  conduct.*  He  was 

*  Compare  John  Marshall,  page  143. — ED. 

(149) 


1 50  AARON  BANCROFT. 

not  so  eminent  for  any  one  quality  of  greatness  and  worth,  as  for  the 
union  of  those  great,  aimable  and  good  qualities,  which  are  very  rarely 
combined  in  the  same  character. 

His  maxims  were  formed  upon  the  result  of  mature  reflection,  or 
extensive  experience;  they  were  the  invariable  rules  of  his  practice; 
and  on  all  important  instances,  he  seemed  to  have  an  intuitive  view  of 
what  the  occasion  rendered  fit  and  proper.  He  pursued  his  purposes 
with  a  resolution,  which,  one  solitary  moment  excepted,  never  failed 
him.* 

Alive  to  social  pleasures,  he  delighted  to  enter  into  familiar  con 
versation  with  his  acquaintance,  and  was  somtimes  sportive  in  his 
letters  to  his  friends;  but  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  dignity  of  his 
character,  nor  deviated  from  the  decorous  and  appropriate  behaviour 
becoming  his  station  in  society. 

He  commanded  from  all  the  most  respectful  attention,  and  no 
man  in  his  company  ever  fell  into  light  or  lewd  conversation.  His 
stile  of  living  corresponded  with  his  wealth ;  but  his  extensive  estab 
lishment  was  managed  with  the  strictest  economy,  and  he  ever  reserved 
ample  funds  liberally  to  promote  schemes  of  private  benevolence,  and 
works  of  publick  utility.  Punctual  himself  to  every  engagement,  he 
exacted  from  others  a  strict  fulfilment  of  contracts,  but  to  the  necessi 
tous  he  was  diffusive  in  his  charities,  and  he  greatly  assisted  the  poorer 
classes  of  people  in  his  vicinity,  by  furnishing  them  with  means  suc 
cessfully  to  prosecute  plans  of  industry. 

In  domestick  and  private  life,  he  blended  the  authority  of  the 
master  with  the  care  and  kindness  of  the  guardian  and  friend.  Solici- 

*  On  York  Island,  in  1776. 


AARON  BANCROFT.  1 5 1 

tous  for  the  welfare  of  his  slaves,  while  at  Mount  Vernon,  he  every 
morning  rode  round  his  estates  to  examine  their  condition;  for  the 
sick,  physicians  were  provided,  and  to  the  weak  and  infirm  every 
necessary  comfort  was  administered.  The  servitude  of  the  negroes 
lay  with  weight  upon  his  mind;  he  often  made  it  the  subject  of  con 
versation,  and  revolved  several  plans  for  their  general  emancipation ; 
but  could  devise  none,  which  promised  success,  in  consistency  with 
humanity  to  them,  and  safety  to  the  state. 

The  address  presented  to  him  at  Alexandria,  on  the  commence 
ment  of  his  presidency,  fully  shows  how  much  he  was  endeared  to  his 
neighbors,  and  the  affection  and  esteem,  in  which  his  friends  held  his 
private  character.* 

His  industry  was  unremitted,  and  his  method  so  exact,  that  all 
the  complicated  business  of  his  military  command,  and  civil  adminis 
tration,  was  managed  without  confusion,  and  without  hurry. 

Not  feeling  the  lust  of  power,  and  ambitious  only  for  honourable 
fame,  he  devoted  himself  to  his  country  upon  the  most  disinterested 
principles ;  and  his  actions  wore  not  the  semblance  but  the  reality  of 
virtue :  The  purity  of  his  motives  was  accredited,  and  absolute  confi 
dence  placed  in  his  patriotism. 

While  filling  a  publick  station,  the  performance  of  his  duty  took 
the  place  of  pleasure,  emolument  and  every  private  consideration. 
During  the  more  critical  years  of  the  war,  a  smile  was  scarcely  seen 
upon  his  countenance,  he  gave  himself  no  moments  of  relaxation ;  but 
his  whole  mind  was  engrossed  to  execute  successfully  his  trust. 

As  a  military  commander,  he  struggled  with  innumerable  em- 

*  For  this  address,  see  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  Vol.  V,  p.  155. — ED. 


1 52  AARON  BANCROFT. 

barrassments,  arising  from  the  short  inlistment  of  his  men,  and  from  the 
want  of  provisions,  clothing,  arms  and  ammunition;  and  an  opinion  of 
his  achievements  should  be  formed  in  view  of  these  inadequate  means. 

The  first  years  of  his  civil  administration  were  attended  with  the 
extraordinary  fact,  that  while  a  great  proportion  of  his  countrymen  re 
probated  his  measures,  they  universally  venerated  his  character,  and 
relied  implicitly  on  his  integrity.  Although  his  opponents  eventually 
deemed  it  expedient  to  vilify  his  character,  that  they  might  diminish 
his  political  influence;  yet  the  moment  that  he  retired  from  publick 
life,  they  returned  to  their  expressions  of  veneration  and  esteem ;  and 
after  his  death,  used  every  endeavour  to  secure  to  their  party  the  influ 
ence  of  his  name. 

He  was  as  eminent  for  piety,  as  for  patriotism.  His  publick  and 
private  conduct  evince,  that  he  impressively  felt  a  sense  of  the  superin 
tendence  of  God  and  of  the  dependence  of  man.  In  his  addresses 
while  at  the  head  of  the  army,  and  of  the  national  government,  he 
gratefully  noticed  the  signal  blessings  of  Providence,  and  fervently 
commended  his  country  to  divine  benediction.  In  private,  he  was 
known  to  have  been  habitually  devout. 

In  principle  and  practice  he  was  a  Christian.  The  support  of  an 
Episcopal  church,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Vernon,  rested  principally 
upon  him,  and  here,  when  on  his  estate,  he  with  constancy  attended 
publick  worship.  In  his  address  to  the  American  people,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  mentioning  the  favourable  period  of  the  world  at  which  the 
independence  of  his  country  was  established,  and  enumerating  the 
causes  which  unitedly  had  ameliorated  the  condition  of  human  society, 
he,  above  science,  philosophy,  commerce,  and  all  other  considerations, 


AARON  BANCROFT.  1 5 3 

ranked  "  the  pure  and  benign  light  of  Revelation."  Supplicating  Heaven 
that  his  fellow  citizens  might  cultivate  the  disposition,  and  practise  the 
virtues,  which  exalt  a  community,  he  presented  the  following  petition 
to  his  God,  "That  he  would  most  graciously  be  pleased  to  dispose  us 
all  to  do  justice,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  demean  ourselves  with  that 
charity,  humility  and  pacifick  temper  of  mind,  which  were  the  charac- 
teristicks  of  the  Divine  Author  of  our  blessed  religion;  without  an  hum 
ble  imitation  of  whose  example,  in  these  things,  we  can  never  hope  to 
be  an  happy  nation." 

During  the  war,  he  not  unfrequently  rode  ten  or  twelve  miles  from 
camp  to  attend  publick  worship;  and  he  never  omitted  this  attendance, 
when  opportunity  presented. 

In  the  establishment  of  his  presidential  household,  he  reserved  to 
himself  the  Sabbath,  free  from  the  interruptions  of  private  visits,  or 
publick  business;  and  throughout  the  eight  years  of  his  civil  adminis 
tration,  he  gave  to  the  institutions  of  Christianity  the  influence  of  his 
example. 

He  was  as  fortunate  as  great  and  good. 

Under  his  auspices,  a  civil  war  was  conducted  with  mildness,  and 
a  revolution  with  order.  Raised  himself  above  the  influence  of  popular 
passions,  he  happily  directed  these  passions  to  the  most  useful  purposes. 
Uniting  the  talents  of  the  soldier  with  the  qualifications  of  the  states 
man,*  and  pursuing,  unmoved  by  difficulties,  the  noblest  end  by  the 


*  Compare  John  Bell,  page  12.  The  earliest  expression  of  this  idea,  however,  is  to  be 
found  on  the  first  medal  issued  in  honor  of  Washington — struck  at  Paris  in  1778  by  direction 
of  Voltaire,  and  known  as  the  Voltaire  Medal — the  legend  of  which  is :  "  Washington  reuuit 
par  un  rare  assemblage  les  talens  du  guerrier  et  les  vertus  du  sage." — Eu. 

2O 


1 54  AARON  BANCROFT. 


purest  means,  he  had  the  supreme  satisfaction  of  beholding  the  com 
plete  success  of  his  great  military  and  civil  services,  in  the  indepen 
dence  and  happiness  of  his  country. 


AARON  BANCROFT,  D.D.,  a  Unitarian  minister,  was  born  at  Reading,  Mass.,  November 
loth,  1755,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1778.  He  was  a  volunteer  at  Lexington 
and  Bunker  Hill,  and  although  his  studies  were  much  interrupted  by  the  Revolution,  became 
one  of  the  most  accomplished  scholars  of  the  country.  After  spending  some  time  in  teach 
ing,  he  studied  theology,  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  spent  three  years  as  a  missionary  in 
Yarmouth,  N.  S.  He  afterwards  (1786),  settled  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he  died  August 
I gth,  1839.  His  "Essay  on  the  Life  of  George  Washington,  Commander  in  Chief  of  the 
American  Army,  through  the  Revolutionary  War;  and  the  first  President  of  the  United 
States,"  from  which  we  make  the  above  extract,  was  published  at  Worcester,  in  1807.  8vo. 
It  was  reprinted  in  London  by  Stockdale  in  1808,  and  several  American  editions  have  ap 
peared.  Dr.  Bancroft  also  delivered,  "  An  Eulogy  on  the  character  of  the  late  Gen.  George 
Washington,  before  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Worcester,  Commonwealth  of  Massachu 
setts,  on  Saturday,  the  22d  of  February,  1800."  8vo,  pp.  21,  Worcester,  1800.  From  this 
we  make  the  following  quotation :  "  In  other  countries,  individuals  have  been  illustrious  as 
Heroes  and  Statesmen.  The  talents  which  immortalized  their  respective  names  were  united 
in  our  American  Alfred ;  and  he  was  free  from  the  vices  and  weaknesses,  which  were  the 
shades  of  their  characters.  In  him  were  combined  the  most  excellent  qualities  of  man ;  and 
in  his  life  appeared  an  assemblage  of  the  noblest  virtues  of  humanity.  '  His  life  was  one 
stream  of  light,'  and  the  shadow  of  night  rests  not  upon  it.  The  picture  of  man  in  him  was 
perfect,  and  there  is  no  blot  to  tarnish  its  brightness.  His  character  we  must  all  contemplate 
with  supreme  delight :  In  it  we  view  the  dignity  of  our  nature ;  and  the  glory  of  our  race. 
As  an  American  character,  we  may  all  exult  in  it,  as  the  ornament  of  our  nation  and  the 
honor  of  our  age.  As  the  Patriot,  whose  exalted  talents  and  pre-eminent  endowments  were 
devoted  to  our  country,  we  feel  the  obligations  of  public  gratitude — we  are  melted  to  emotions 
of  tenderness — we  are  disposed  to  express  every  mark  of  admiration  and  respect." 


DAVID  RAMSAY. 

1807. 

THE  person  of  George  Washington  was  uncommonly  tall.  Moun 
tain  air,  abundant  exercise  in  the  open  country,  the  wholesome  toils  of 
the  chase,  and  the  delightful  scenes  of  rural  life,  expanded  his  limbs  to 
an  unusual,  but  graceful  and  well-proportioned  size.  His  exterior 
suggested  to  every  beholder  the  idea  of  strength,  united  with  manly 
gracefulness.  His  form  was  noble,  and  his  port  majestic.  No  man 
could  approach  him  but  with  respect.  His  frame  was  robust,  his  con 
stitution  vigorous,  and  he  was  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue.  His 
passions  were  naturally  strong;  with  them  was  his  first  contest,  and 
over  them  his  first  victory.  Before  he  undertook  to  command  others, 
he  had  thoroughly  learned  to  command  himself.  The  powers  of  his 
mind  were  more  solid  than  brilliant.  Judgment  was  his  forte.*  To 
vivacity,  wit,  and  the  sallies  of  a  lively  imagination,  he  made  no  pre 
tensions.  His  faculties  resembled  those  of  Aristotle,  Bacon,  Locke, 
and  Newton;  but  were  very  unlike  those  of  Voltaire.  Possessed  of  a 
large  proportion  of  common  sense,  directed  by  a  sound  practical  judg 
ment,  he  was  better  fitted  for  the  exalted  stations  to  which  he  was 
called,  than  many  others,  who,  to  a  greater  brilliancy  of  parts,  fre 
quently  add  the  eccentricities  of  genius. 

*  Compare  John  Marshall,  page  143. — ED. 

(155) 


156  DAVID  RAMSAY. 


Truth  and  utility  were  his  objects.  He  steadily  pursued,  and 
generally  attained  them.  With  this  view  he  thought  much,  and  closely 
examined  every  subject  on  which  he  was  to  decide,  in  all  its  relations. 
Neither  passion,  party  spirit,  pride,  prejudice,  ambition,  nor  interest, 
influenced  his  deliberations.  In  making  up  his  mind  on  great  occasions, 
many  of  which  occurred  in  which  the  fate  of  the  army  or  nation 
seemed  involved,  he  sought  for  information  from  all  quarters,  revolved 
the  subject  by  night  and  by  day,*  and  examined  it  in  every  point  of 
view.  Guided  by  these  lights,  and  influenced  by  an  honest  and  good 
heart,  he  was  imperceptibly  led  to  decisions  which  were  wise  and  judi 
cious.  Perhaps  no  man  ever  lived  who  was  so  often  called  upon  to 
form  a  judgment  in  cases  of  real  difficulty,  and  who  so  often  formed  a 
right  one.  Engaged  in  the  busy  scenes  of  life,  he  knew  human  nature, 
and  the  most  proper  methods  of  accomplishing  proposed  objects.  Of 
a  thousand  propositions  he  knew  to  distinguish  the  best,  and  to  select 
among  a  thousand  the  individual  most  fitted  for  his  purpose. 

As  a  military  man,  he  possessed  personal  courage,  and  a  firmness 
which  neither  danger  nor  difficulties  could  shake.  His  perseverance 
overcame  every  obstacle;  his  moderation  conciliated  all  opposition; 
his  genius  supplied  every  resource.  He  knew  how  to  conquer  by 
delay,  and  deserved  true  praise  by  despising  unmerited  censure.  Infe 
rior  to  his  adversary  in  the  numbers,  the  equipment,  and  discipline  of 

*  In  a  letter  to  Gen.  Knox,  written  after  the  termination  of  the  revolutionary  war,  Wash 
ington  observed — "  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  it  was  not  until  lately 
I  could  get  the  better  of  my  usual  custom  of  ruminating  as  soon  as  I  awoke  in  the  morning, 
on  the  business  of  the  ensuing  day;  and  of  my  surprise  at  finding,  after  revolving  many  things 
in  my  mind,  that  I  was  no  longer  a  public  man,  or  had  any  thing  to  do  with  public  transac 
tions." 


DAVID  RAMSAY.  157 


his  troops,  no  great  advantage  was  ever  obtained  over  him,  and  no 
opportunity  to  strike  an  important  blow  was  ever  neglected.*  In  the 
most  ardent  moments  of  the  contest,  his  prudent  firmness  proved  the 
salvation  of  his  country. 

The  whole  range  of  history  does  not  present  a  character  on  which 
we  can  dwell  with  such  entire  unmixed  admiration.  His  qualities 
were  so  happily  blended,  and  so  nicely  harmonized,  that  the  result  was 
a  great  and  perfect  whole. f 

The  integrity  of  Washington  was  incorruptible.  His  principles 
were  free  from  the  contamination  of  selfish  and  unworthy  passions. 
His  real  and  avowed  motives  were  the  same.  His  ends  were  always 
upright,  and  his  means  pure.  He  was  a  statesman  without  guile,  and 
his  professions,  both  to  his  fellow-citizens  and  to  foreign  nations,  were 
always  sincere.  No  circumstances  ever  induced  him  to  use  duplicity. 
He  was  an  example  of  the  distinction  which  exists  between  wisdom 
and  cunning;  and  his  manly,  open  conduct,  was  an  illustration  of  the 
soundness  of  the  maxim — "that  honesty  is  the  best  policy." 

The  learning  of  Washington  was  of  a  particular  kind.  He  over 
stepped  the  tedious  forms  of  the  schools,  and  by  the  force  of  a  correct 
taste  and  sound  judgment,  seized  on  the  great  ends  of  learning,  with 
out  the  assistance  of  those  means  which  have  been  contrived  to  prepare 
less  active  minds  for  public  business.  By  a  careful  study  of  the  English 
language;  by  reading  good  models  of  fine  writing,  and  above  all,  by 
the  aid  of  a  vigorous  mind,  he  made  himself  master  of  a  pure,  elegant, 
and  classical  style.  His  composition  was  all  nerve;  full  of  correct  and 

*  John  Marshall,  page  143. — ED. 
f  London  Courier,  page  85. — ED. 


158  DA  VID  RAMS  A  Y. 


manly  ideas,  which  were  expressed  in  precise  and  forcible  language. 
His  answers  to  the  innumerable  addresses  which  on  all  public  occasions 
poured  in  upon  him,  were  promptly  made,  handsomely  expressed,  and 
always  contained  something  appropriate.  His  letters  to  Congress;  his 
addresses  to  that  body  on  the  acceptance  and  resignation  of  his  com 
mission;  his  general  orders  as  Commander  in  Chief;  his  speeches  and 
messages  as  President;  and  above  all,  his  two  farewell  addresses  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  will  remain  lasting  monuments  of  the 
goodness  of  his  heart,  of  the  wisdom  of  his  head,  and  of  the  eloquence 
of  his  pen. 

The  powers  of  his  mind  were  in  some  respects  peculiar.  He  was 
a  great,  practical,  self-taught  genius;  with  a  head  to  devise,  and  a  hand 
to  execute,  projects  of  the  first  magnitude  and  greatest  utility. 

There  are  few  men  of  any  kind,  and  still  fewer  of  those  the  world 
calls  great,  who  have  not  some  of  their  virtues  eclipsed  by  correspond 
ing  vices.  But  this  was  not  the  case  with  General  Washington.  He 
had  religion  without  austerity,  dignity  without  pride,  modesty  without 
diffidence,  courage  without  rashness,  politeness  without  affectation, 
affability  without  familiarity.  His  private  character,  as  well  as  his 
public  one,  will  bear  the  strictest  scrutiny.  He  was  punctual  in  all 
his  engagements;  upright  and  honest  in  his  dealings;  temperate  in 
his  enjoyments;  liberal  and  hospitable  to  an  eminent  degree;  a  lover 
of  order;  systematical  and  methodical  in  all  his  arrangements.  He 
was  the  friend  of  morality  and  religion;  steadily  attended  on  public 
worship;  encouraged  and  strengthened  the  hands  of  the  clergy.  In 
all  his  public  acts,  he  made  the  most  respectful  mention  of  Providence; 
and,  in  a  word,  carried  the  spirit  of  piety  with  him  both  in  his  private 
life  and  public  administration.  *  *  *  * 


DAVID  RAMSAY.  159 


He  also  possessed  equanimity  in  an  eminent  degree.  One  even 
tenour  marked  the  greatness  of  his  mind,  in  all  the  variety  of  scenes 
through  which  he  passed.  In  the  most  trying  situations  he  never  de 
spaired,  nor  was  he  ever  depressed.  He  was  the  same  when  retreat 
ing  through  Jersey  from  before  a  victorious  enemy  with  the  remains 
of  his  broken  army,  as  when  marching  in  triumph  into  Yorktown, 
over  its  demolished  fortifications.  The  honours  and  applause  he  re 
ceived  from  his  grateful  countrymen,  would  have  made  almost  any 
other  man  giddy;  but  on  him  they  had  no  mischievous  effect.  He 
exacted  none  of  those  attentions ;  but  when  forced  upon  him,  he  re 
ceived  them  as  favours,  with  the  politeness  of  a  well-bred  man.  He 
was  great  in  deserving  them,  but  much  greater  in  not  being  elated 
with  them. 

The  patriotism  of  Washington  was  of  the  most  ardent  kind,  and 
without  alloy.  He  was  very  different  from  those  noisy  patriots,  who, 
with  love  of  country  in  their  mouths,  and  hell  in  their  hearts,  lay  their 
schemes  for  aggrandizing  themselves  at  every  hazard  ;  but  he  was  one 
of  those  who  love  their  country  in  sincerity,  and  who  hold  themselves 
bound  to  consecrate  all  their  talents  to  its  service.  Numerous  were 
the  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend — Great  were  the  dangers 
he  had  to  encounter — Various  were  the  toils  and  services  in  which  he 
had  to  share;  but  to  all  difficulties  and  dangers  he  rose  superior.  To 
all  toils  and  services  he  cheerfully  submitted  for  his  country's  good. 
*  *  *  * 

Rulers  of  the  world!  Learn  from  Washington  wherein  true  glory 
consists — Restrain  your  ambition — Consider  your  power  as  an  obliga 
tion  to  do  good — Let  the  world  have  peace,  and  prepare  for  your- 


160  DA  VID  RAMSA  Y. 


selves,  the  enjoyment  of  that  ecstatic  pleasure  which  will  result  from 
devoting  all  your  energies  to  the  advancement  of  human  happiness. 

Citizens  of  the  United  States !  while  with  grateful  hearts  you  re 
collect  the  virtues  of  your  Washington,  carry  your  thoughts  one  step 
farther.  On  a  review  of  his  life,  and  of  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
times  in  which  he  lived,  you  must  be  convinced,  that  a  kind  Provi 
dence  in  its  beneficence  raised  him,  and  endowed  him  with  extraordi 
nary  virtues,  to  be  to  you  an  instrument  of  great  good.  None  but 
such  a  man  could  have  carried  you  successfully  through  the  revolu 
tionary  times  which  tried  men's  souls,  and  ended  in  the  establishment 
of  your  independence.  None  but  such  a  man  could  have  braced  up 
your  government  after  it  had  become  so  contemptible,  from  the  imbe 
cility  of  the  federal  system.  None  but  such  a  man  could  have  saved 
your  country  from  being  plunged  into  war,  either  with  the  greatest 
naval  power  in  Europe,  or  with  that  which  is  most  formidable  by  land, 
in  consequence  of  your  animosity  against  the  one,  and  your  partiality 
in  favour  of  the  other. 

Youths  of  the  United  States!  Learn  from  Washington  what  may 
be  done  by  an  industrious  improvement  of  your  talents,  and  the  culti 
vation  of  your  moral  powers.  Without  any  extraordinary  advantages 
from  birth,  fortune,  patronage,  or  even  of  education,  he,  by  virtue  and 
industry,  attained  the  highest  seat  in  the  temple  of  fame.  You  cannot 
all  be  commanders  of  armies,  or  chief  magistrates;  but  you  may  all 
resemble  him  in  the  virtues  of  private  and  domestic  life,  in  which  he 
excelled,  and  in  which  he  most  delighted.  Equally  industrious  with 
his  plough  as  his  sword,  he  esteemed  idleness  and  inutility  as  the 
greatest  disgrace  of  man,  whose  powers  attain  perfection  only  by  con- 


DAVID  RAMSAY.  161 


stant  and  vigorous  action.*  Washington,  in  private  life,  was  as  aimable 
as  virtuous;  and  as  great  as  he  appeared  sublime,  on  the  public  theatre 
of  the  world.  He  lived  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  civil,  social,  and 
domestic  offices  of  life.  He  was  temperate  in  his  desires,  and  faithful 
to  his  duties.  For  more  than  forty  years  of  happy  wedded  love,  his 
high  example  strengthened  the  tone  of  public  manners.  He  had  more 
real  enjoyment  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  than  in  the  pride  of  military 
command,  or  in  the  pomp  of  sovereign  power. 

On  the  whole,  his  life  affords  the  brightest  model  for  imitation,  not 
only  to  warriors  and  statesmen,  but  to  private  citizens;  for  his  character 
was  a  constellation  of  all  the  talents  and  virtues  which  dignify  or  adorn 
human  nature. 

"  He  was  a  man,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
We  ne'er  shall  look  upon  his  like  again." 


DAVID  RAMSAY,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  April  2d,  1749,  and  died 
at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  May  8th,  1815.  He  graduated  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1765, 
studied  medicine  in  Philadelphia,  and  removed  to  Charleston  in  1773,  where  he  soon  acquired 
celebrity  as  a  physician  and  labored  zealously  with  his  pen  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  Dr. 
Ramsay  was  a  leading  member  of  the  South  Carolina  legislature,  and  served  in  the  army  as 
a  surgeon.  He  was  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  an  unselfish  patriot.  His  "  Life  of  George 
Washington"  from  which  we  quote,  was  published  in  1807.  8vo,  New  York  and  London. 
A  number  of  iamo  editions  have  been  published,  Boston,  1811,  Baltimore,  1814  and  1825, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1840,  and  at  Hartford;  also  in  French,  Paris,  1809  and  1819,  8vo;  in  Span 
ish,  Paris,  1809,  and  at  Barcelona,  1842,  2  vols.,  8vo. 


*  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  page  82. — ED. 


21 


JOHN   JAY. 
1811. 

THERE  have  been  in  the  world  but  two  systems  or  schools  of  pol 
icy,  the  one  founded  on  the  great  principles  of  wisdom  and  rectitude, 
the  other  on  cunning,  and  its  various  artifices.  To  the  first  of  these 
belonged  Washington,  and  all  the  other  worthies  of  every  other  coun 
try  who  ascended  to  the  Temple  of  Honor  through  the  Temple  of  Vir 
tue.  The  doctrines,  maxims,  and  precepts  of  this  school  have  been 
explained  and  inculcated  by  the  ablest  writers,  ancient  and  modern.  In 
all  civilized  countries  they  are  known,  though  often  neglected;  and  in 
free  States  have  always  been  publicly  commended  and  taught ;  they 
crossed  the  Atlantic  with  our  forefathers,  and  in  our  days  particularly, 
have  not  only  engaged  the  time  and  attention  of  students,  but  have 
been  constantly  and  eloquently  displayed  by  able  men  in  our  senates 
and  assemblies.  What  reason  can  there  be  that  Washington  did  not 
understand  those  subjects?  If  it  be  asked  what  these  subjects  com 
prehend  or  relate  to,  the  answer  is  this — they  relate  to  the  nature  and 
duties  of  man,  to  his  propensities  and  passions,  his  virtues  and  vices, 
his  habits  and  prejudices,  his  real  and  relative  wants  and  enjoyments, 
his  capacities  for  social  and  national  happiness,  and  the  means  by 
which,  according  to  time,  place,  and  other  existing  circumstances,  it  is 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  to  be  procured,  preserved,  and  increased. 
From  a  profound  investigation  of  these  subjects,  enlightened  by 
(162) 


JOHN  JAY.  163 

experience,  result  all  that  knowledge  and  those  maxims  and  precepts 
of  sound  policy,  which  enable  legislators  and  rulers  to  manage  and 
govern  public  affairs  wisely  and  justly. 

By  what  other  means  than  the  practical  use  of  this  knowledge, 
could  Washington  have  been  able  to  lead  and  govern  an  army  hastily 
collected  from  various  parts,  and  who  brought  with  them  to  the  field 
all  the  license  and  all  the  habits  which  they  had  indulged  at  home? 
Could  he,  by  the  force  of  orders  and  proclamations,  have  constrained 
them  to  render  to  him  that  obedience,  confidence,  and  warm  attach 
ment  which  he  so  soon  acquired,  and  which  throughout  all  vicissi 
tudes  and  distresses,  continued  constant  and  undiminished  to  the  last? 
By  what  other  means  could  he  have  been  able  to  frustrate  the  designs 
of  dark  cabals,  and  the  unceasing  intrigues  of  envious  competitors, 
and  the  arts  of  the  opposing  enemy?  By  what  other  means  could  he 
have  been  able,  in  so  masterly  a  manner,  to  meet  and  manage  all 
those  perplexing  embarrassments  which  the  revolutionary  substitution 
of  a  new  government, — which  the  want  of  that  power  in  congress 
which  they  had  not,  and  of  that  promptitude  which  no  deliberative 
body  can  have, — which  the  frequent  destitution  and  constant  uncer 
tainty  of  essential  supplies, — which  the  incompetency  of  individuals  on 
whom  much  depended,  the  perfidy  of  others,  and  the  mismanagement 
of  many,  could  not  fail  to  engender?  We  know,  and  history  will 
inform  posterity,  that,  from  the  first  of  his  military  career,  he  had  to 
meet,  and  encounter,  and  surmount  a  rapid  succession  of  formidable 
difficulties,  even  down  to  the  time  when  his  country  was  enabled,  by 
the  success  of  their  arms,  to  obtain  the  honourable  peace  which 
terminated  the  war.  His  high  and  appointed  course  being  then 


164  JOHN  JAY. 

finished,  he  disdained  the  intimations  of  lawless  ambition  to  prolong 
it.  He  disbanded  the  army  under  circumstances  which  required  no 
common  degree  of  policy  or  virtue;  and  with  universal  admiration  and 
plaudits,  descended,  joyfully  and  serenely,  into  the  shades  of  retirement. 
They  who  ascribe  all  this  to  the  guidance  and  protection  of  Providence 
do  well,  but  let  them  recollect  that  Providence  seldom  interposes  in 
human  affairs,  but  through  the  agency  of  human  means. 

When  at  a  subsequent  and  alarming  period,  the  nation  found  that 
their  affairs  had  gone  into  confusion,  and  that  clouds  portending 
danger  and  distress  were  rising  over  them,  in  every  quarter,  they 
instituted  under  his  auspices  a  more  efficient  government,  and  unani 
mously  committed  the  administration  of  it  to  him.  Would  they  have 
done  this  without  the  highest  confidence  in  his  political  talents  and 
wisdom?  Certainly  not — no  novice  in  navigation  was  ever  unani 
mously  called  upon  to  take  the  helm  or  command  of  a  ship  on  the 
point  of  running  aground  among  the  breakers.  This  universal  confi 
dence  would  have  proved  universal  mistake,  had  it  not  been  justified 
by  the  event.  The  unanimous  opinion  entertained  and  declared  by 
a  whole  people  in  favor  of  any  fellow-citizen  is  rarely  erroneous, 
especially  in  times  of  alarm  and  calamity. 

To  delineate  the  course,  and  enumerate  the  measures  which  he 
took  to  arrive  at  success,  would  be  to  write  a  volume.  The  firmness 
and  policy  with  which  he  overcame  the  obstacles  placed  in  his  way 
by  the  derangement  of  national  affairs,  by  the  devices  of  domestic 
demagogues  and  of  foreign  agents,  as  well  as  by  the  deleterious 
influences  of  the  French  revolution,  need  not  be  particularized. 
Our  records,  and  histories,  and  memories,  render  it  unnecessary.  It 


JOHN  JAY.  165 

is  sufficient  to  say,  and  it  can  be  said  with  truth,  that  his  administra 
tion  raised  the  nation  out  of  confusion  into  order,  out  of  degradation 
and  distress  into  reputation  and  prosperity;  it  found  us  withering — it 
left  us  flourishing. 


JOHN  JAY,  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  of  whom  it  has  been  said  that,  "  In 
lofty  disinterestedness,  in  unyielding  integrity,  in  superiority  to  the  illusions  of  passion,  no 
one  of  the  great  men  of  the  Revolution  approached  so  near  to  Washington,"  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  December  12,  1745,  and  died  at  Bedford,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
17,  1829.  Our  extract  is  from  a  letter  to  Richard  Peters,  Esq.,  dated  Bedford,  March  2glh, 
iSl  I,  written  in  support  of  his  conviction  that  Washington  was  the  author  of  the  Farewell 
Address,  and  furnishing  some  direct  evidence  to  that  effect,  which  had  come  to  his  personal 
knowledge.  The  letter  is  printed  in  "  The  Life  of  John  Jay  with  selections  from  his  corre 
spondence  and  miscellaneous  papers.  By  his  son  William  Jay."  New  York,  1833.  2  vols., 
8vo.  In  an  address  to  the  New  York  State  legislature  as  Governor,  January  28,  1800,  John 
Jay  alluding  to  the  death  of  Washington,  said ,  "  His  memory  will  be  cherished  by  the  wise 
and  good  of  every  nation;  and  truth,  triumphing  over  her  adversaries,  will  transmit  his 
character  to  posterity  in  all  its  genuine  lustre.  His  excellent  example  and  excellent  admoni 
tions  still  remain  with  us,  and  happy  will  that  people  be  whose  leaders  imitate  the  one  and 
observe  the  other." 


CHARLES  PHILLIPS. 

No  matter  what  may  be  the  birth-place  of  such  a  man  as  Wash 
ington.  No  climate  can  claim,  no  country  can  appropriate  him — the 
boon  of  Providence  to  the  human  race — his  fame  is  eternity,  and  his 
residence  creation !  Though  it  was  the  defeat  of  our  arms,  and  the 
disgrace  of  our  policy,  I  almost  bless  the  convulsion  in  which  he  had 
his  origin;  if  the  heavens  thundered  and  the  earth  rocked,  yet  when 
the  storm  passed,  how  pure  was  the  climate  that  it  cleared — how 
bright  in  the  brow  of  the  firmament  was  the  planet  it  revealed  to  us ! 
In  the  production  of  Washington  it  does  really  appear  as  if  nature  was 
endeavoring  to  improve  upon  herself,  and  that  all  the  virtues  of  the 
ancient  world  were  but  so  many  studies  preparatory  to  the  patriot  of 
the  new.  Individual  instances,  no  doubt  there  were,  splendid  exem 
plifications  of  some  single  qualification — Caesar  was  merciful — Scipio 
was  continent — Hannibal  was  patient — but  it  was  reserved  for  Wash 
ington  to  blend  them  all  in  one,  and  like  the  lovely  chefcTcznvre  of  the 
Grecian  artist,  to  exhibit  in  one  glow  of  associated  beauty,  the  pride  of 
every  model,  and  the  perfection  of  every  master. 

As  a  general,  he  marshalled  the  peasant  into  a  veteran,  and  sup 
plied  by  discipline  the  absence  of  experience.  As  a  statesman,  he  en 
larged  the  policy  of  the  cabinet  into  the  most  comprehensive  system 
of  general  advantage;  and  such  was  the  wisdom  of  his  views,  and  the 
philosophy  of  his  councils,  that  to  the  soldier  and  the  statesman  he 
(166) 


CHARLES  PHILLIPS.  167 


almost  added  the  character  of  the  sage.*  A  conqueror,  he  was  untainted 
with  the  crime  of  blood — a  revolutionist,  he  was  free  from  any  stain 
of  treason ;  for  aggression  commenced  the  contest,  and  a  country  called 
him  to  the  command.  Liberty  unsheathed  his  sword — necessity 
stained — victory  returned  it.  If  he  had  paused  here,  history  might 
doubt  what  station  to  assign  him — whether  at  the  head  of  her  citizens, 
or  her  soldiers, — her  heroes  or  her  patriots.  But  the  last  glorious  act 
crowned  his  career,  and  banishes  hesitation.  Who  like  Washington, 
after  having  freed  a  country,  resigned  her  crown,  and  retired  to  a  cot 
tage  rather  than  reign  in  a  capital !  Immortal  man !  He  took  from 
the  battle  its  crime,  and  from  the  conquest  its  chains — he  left  the  vic 
torious  the  glory  of  his  self-denial,  and  turned  upon  the  vanquished 
only  the  retribution  of  his  mercy. 


CHARLES  PHILLIPS,  a  native  of  Sligo,  Ireland,  was  born  in  1787,  and  died  in  1859.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  University  of  Dublin  in  1802,  and  entered  the  middle  Temple  in  1807; 
was  called  to  the  Irish  bar  in  1811,  and  to  the  English  bar  in  1821.  Mr.  Phillips  was  made 
a  Commissioner  of  the  Court  of  Insolvent  Debtors  in  1846,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged 
with  great  credit  until  his  death.  Our  extract  is  from  "  A  Tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late 
General  Washington,  President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  by  Charles  Phillips."  8vo., 
pp.  12.  London,  n.  d.  The  tribute  was  pronounced  about  the  year  1813  at  a  dinner  near 
Killarney,  Ireland,  in  prefacing  a  toast,  The  Memory  of  Washington. 

*  See  note,  p.  153. — ED. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 

1814. 

I  THINK  I  knew  General  Washington  intimately  and  thoroughly; 
and  were  I  called  on  to  delineate  his  character,  it  should  be  in  terms 
like  these.  His  mind  was  great  and  powerful,  without  being  of  the 
very  first  order;  his  penetration  strong,  though  not  so  acute  as  that 
of  a  Newton,  Bacon  or  Locke;  and,  as  far  as  he  saw,  no  judgment  was 
ever  sounder.  ^_It_  was  sl_owjn_ogeration,  being  little  aided  by  invention 
or  imaginationA_but  sure  in  conclusipn.  Hence  the  common  remark 
of  his  officers,  of  the  advantage  he  derived  from  councils  of  waV,  where, 
hearing  all  suggestions,  he  selected  whatever  was  best;  and  certainly 
no  General  ever  planned  his  battles  more  judiciously.  But  if  deranged 
during  the  course  of  the  action,  if  any  member  of  his  plan  was  dislo 
cated  by  sudden  circumstances,  he  was  slow  in  re-adjustment.  The 
consequence  was,  that  he  often  failed  in  the  field,  and  rarely  against 
an  enemy  in  station,  as  at  Boston  and  York.  T-Tp  was  inrrqp^h|^  of 
fear,  meeting  pergnnal  dangers  with  th°  pn Intent  unnnn™*rn 

Perhaps  the  strongest  feature  in  his  character  was  prudence,  never 
acting  until  every  circumstance,  every  consideration,  was  maturely 
weighed;  refraining,  if  he  saw  a  doubt,  but,  when,  once  decided,  going 
through  with  his  purpose  whatever  obstacles  opposed.  His  integrity 
was  most  pure,  bjj^ justice  the  most  inflexible  I  have  ever  known,  no 
.motives  of  interest  or  consanguinity,  of  friendship  or  hatred,  being  able 
(168) 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON.  169 

t{L  bias  ilia  decision.  He  was,  indeed,  in  every  sense  of  the  words,  a 
wise,  a  good,  and  a  great  man.  His  temper  was  naturally  irritable 
and  high-toned ;  but  reflection  and  resolution  had  obtained  a  firm  and 
habitual  ascendency  over  it.  If  ever,  however,  it  broke  its  bonds,  he 
was  most  tremendous  in  his  wrath. 

In  his  expenses  he  was  honorable,  but  exact;  liberal  in  contribu 
tions  to  whatever  promised  utility;  but  frowning  and  unyielding  on 
all  visionary  projects,  and  all  unworthy  calls  on  his  charity.  His 
heart  was  not  warm  in  its  affections ;  but  he  exactly  calculated  every 
man's  value,  and  gave  him  a  solid  esteem  proportioned  to  it.  His 
person,  you  know,  was  fine,  his  stature  exactly  what  one  would  wish, 
his.  deportment  easy,  erect  and  noble ;  the  best  horseman  of  his  age, 
and  the  most  graceful  figure  that  could  be  seen  on  horseback.  Al 
though  in  the  circle  of  his  friends,  where  he  might  be  unreserved  with 
safety,  he  took  a  free  share  in  conversation,  his  colloquial  talents  were 
not  above  mediocrity,  possessing  neither  copiousness  of  ideas,  nor 
fluency  of  words. 

In  public  when  called  on  for  a  sudden  opinion,  he  was  unready, 
short  and  embarrassed.  Yet  he  wrote  readily,  rather  diffusely,  in  an 
easy  and  correct  style.  This  he  had  acquired  by  conversation  with 
the  world,  for  his  education  was  merely  reading,  writing  and  common 
arithmetic,  to  which  he  added  surveying  at  a  later  day.  His  time  was 
employed  in  action  chiefly,  reading  little,  and  that  only  in  agriculture 
and  English  history.  His  correspondence  became  necessarily  exten 
sive,  and,  with  journalizing  his  agricultural  proceedings,  occupied 
most  of  his  leisure  hours  within  doors.  On  the  whole,  his  character 
was,  in  its  mass,  perfect,  in  nothing  bad,  in  few  points  indifferent;  and 

22 


1 70  THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 

it  may  be  truly  said,  that  never  did  nature  and  fortune  combine  more 
perfectly  to  make  a  man  great,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same  constella 
tion  with  whatever  worthies  have  merited  from  man  an  everlasting 
remembrance.  JEoji.his_was^  thejingular  destiny  and  merit,  of  leadjjig 
the_j.rmies  of  hiscountry  successfully  through  an  arduous  war  for  the 
\  establishment  of  its  independence ;  of  coiicluctingj^s_coiincils  through 
the  birth  of  a'  government,  new_injts  form  and  prinoplej,  until  it  had 
settled  down  into  a  quiet  and  orderly  train;  and  of  scrupulously 

I  '  ^      '         ~'          -J.-.--J-..r.— 

/obeying  the Jaws  through  the  whole  of  Jjis^cjireer,  civil  and  military, 
f_which  the  history  of  the  world  furnishes  no  other  example.     I  felt 
on  his  death,  with  my  countrymen,  that  "verily  a  great  man  hath 
fallen  this  day  in  Israel." 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  Secretary  of  State  under  Washington,  and  third  President  of  the 
United  States  (1801—9),  was  born  at  Shadwell,  afterwards  called  Monticello,  Va.,  April  2d, 
1 743,  and  died  there  July  4th,  1 826.  As  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and 
the  founder  of  the  Democratic  party,  Jefferson  has  probably  exerted  a  greater  influence  on 
the  institutions  of  the  United  States,  than  any  other  American,  except  Washington.  The  just 
and  carefully  drawn  character  above  given,  is  taken  from  a  letter  to  Dr.  Walter  Jones,  an 
eminent  physician  of  Virginia,  dated  Monticello,  January  2d,  1814,  printed  in  Vol.  VI,  of 
"The  Writings  of  Thomas  Jefferson,"  Washington,  D.  C.,  1853-5.  9  vols.,  8vo. 


FRANCOIS  MARBOIS. 
1816. 

WHEN  the  war  broke  out  in  America,  it  was  soon  recognized  that 
Washington  was  the  man  the  best  fitted  to  command  the  armies  of  the 
new  republic ;  and  if  the  title  of  great  man  should  be  awarded  to  those 
who,  in  difficult  situations,  perform  the  highest  duties  most  beneficially 
to  their  country,  and  most  in  accord  with  the  rules  of  wisdom,  no 
character  of  ancient  history,  none  of  modern  times,  has  been  more 
worthy  than  he  of  this  noble  name. 

In  private  life,  the  correctness  of  his  principles  and  his  conduct 
earned  the  affection  of  all  those  with  whom  he  lived;  and  they  valued 
more  than  any  other  of  their  experiences,  the  good  fortune  of  having 
been  admitted  to  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  a  man  so  justly  illus 
trious. 

He  possessed  also,  in  the  highest  degree,  the  qualities  which  make 
up  the  character  of  a  statesman :  vigilance  and  foresight  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  affairs ;  a  steadfastness  under  adversity  that  could  not  be 
shaken;  moderation  in  success;  and  perseverance  in  the  execution  of 
his  designs. 

Clothed  with  the  authority  conferred  by  talents  and  virtue  on 
exalted  characters,  the  most  powerful  leader  that  ever  commanded  the 
armies  of  a  republic,  he  was  never  carried  away  by  the  intoxication  of 
power,  the  strongest  and  most  consuming  passion  that  can  possess  the 


1 72  FRANCOIS  MARBOIS. 

human  heart,  the  passion  to  which  so  many  madmen  have  sacrificed 
life  and  even  honor.  The  public  welfare  was  constantly  the  end  of  his 
efforts;  they  were  crowned  with  success;  and  his  renown,  so  great 
while  he  lived,  and  increasing  from  day  to  day,  has  no  other  founda 
tion  than  his  virtues. 

Above  all  things  else,  he  desired  to  be  numbered  with  the  founders 
of  the  independence  of  the  colonies.  The  universal  verdict  assigns 
him  the  first  place  among  them. 

He  cared  nothing  for  the  popular  applause  which  flattery  showers 
on  vanity.  One  day,  after  a  great  victory  while  listening  to  harangues 
and  felicitations,  he  seemed  to  give  them  the  attention  rarely  refused 
by  the  most  modest  men  to  evidences  of  public  admiration.  With  one 
hand  he  received  the  addresses  that  were  presented  to  him,  and  placed 
them  in  his  breast.  In  the  other  he  held  replies  prepared  in  advance; 
but  he  attached  so  little  importance  to  them,  or  he  was  so  preoccupied 
with  serious  matters,  that  he  read  from  beginning  to  end  to  a  deputa 
tion  of  magistrates,  the  one  which  he  had  intended  for  the  generals. 

This  man,  deaf  to  the  empty  sound  of  plaudits,  had,  from  early 
youth,  contracted  the  habit  of  sacrificing  everything  to  duty,  and  of 
departing  in  nothing  from  the  rules  of  justice. 

It  was  never  necessary  to  remind  him  of  a  promise.  He  said: 
"When  I  arouse  an  expectation,  I  am  signing  a  contract." 

His  troops  had  unlimited  confidence  in  him,  and  he  obtained  from 
them  more  by  a  kindly  word  than  others  could  by  benefits  and  gifts. 

It  might  have  been  expected  that  having  acquired  so  much  glory 
and  power  by  his  military  talents,  he  would  retain  a  belligerent  dispo 
sition,  even  in  peaceful  times. 


FRANCOIS  MARBOIS.  173 

Those  who  would  have  liked  to  engage  him  in  the  war  which 
arose  between  France  and  England,  publicly  claimed  that  the  indepen 
dence  of  the  United  States  was  concerned  in  the  contest;  but  he  re 
sisted  them  steadily;  and  if  he  consented  to  make  some  preparations  for 
war,  it  was  always  with  the  intention  of  better  assuring  peace. 

When,  after  a  public  life  so  full  of  usefulness,  he  retired  to  his 
home  to  live  as  a  simple  citizen,  he  felt  that  he  was  only  pursuing  his 
accustomed  course,  in  obedience  to  reason,  to  age,  and  to  nature. 

FRANCOIS  MARBOIS,  Marquis  of  Barbe  Marbois,  was  born  at  Metz,  January  31,  1745, 
and  died  January  14,  1837.  He  was  appointed  in  1779  to  the  post  of  Secretary  of  the  French 
legation  to  the  United  States,  during  our  Revolution,  and  was  the  principal  agent  in  the  most 
important  operations  of  the  embassy.  His  "Complot  D' Arnold  et  de  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
centre  Les  Etats-Unis  D'Amerique  et  centre  Le  General  Washington — Septembre,  1780," 
from  which  we  quote,  was  published  at  Paris  in  1816.  12  mo.  A  translation  by  Robert  Walsh 
was  printed  in  the  American  Register  for  1817.  This,  however,  does  not  include  the  above, 
which  we  translate  from  a  note  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  omitted  by  Mr.  Walsh. 


ELKANAH  WATSON. 

1821. 

I  HAD  feasted  my  imagination  for  several  days  in  the  near  prospect 
of  a  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  seat  of  Washington.  No  pilgrim  ever 
approached  Mecca  with  deeper  enthusiasm.  I  arrived  there,  in  the 
afternoon  of  January  23d,  '85.  I  was  the  bearer  of  the  letter  from  Gen. 
Green,  with  another  from  Col.  Fitzgerald,  one  of  the  former  aids  of 
Washington,  and  also  the  books  from  Granville  Sharp.  Although 
assured,  that  these  credentials  would  secure  me  a  respectful  reception, 
I  trembled  with  awe  as  I  came  into  the  presence  of  this  great  man. 
I  found  him  at  table,  with  Mrs.  Washington  and  his  private  family, 
and  was  received  in  the  native  dignity  and  with  that  urbanity  so  pecu 
liarly  combined  in  the  character  of  a  soldier  and  eminent  private 
gentleman.  He  soon  put  me  at  ease,  by  unbending  in  a  free  and 
affable  conversation. 

The  cautious  reserve,  which  wisdom  and  policy  dictated,  whilst 
engaged  in  rearing  the  glorious  fabric  of  our  independence,  was  evi 
dently  the  result  of  consummate  prudence,  and  not  characteristic  of 
his  nature.  Although  I  had  frequently  seen  him  in  the  progress  of 
the  Revolution,  and  had  corresponded  with  him  from  France  in  '81 
and  '82,  this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  I  had  contemplated  him 
in  his  private  relations.  I  observed  a  peculiarity  in  his  smile,  which 
seemed  to  illuminate  his  eye;  his  whole  countenance  beamed  with 
(174) 


ELKANAH  WATSON.  175 


intelligence,  while  it  commanded  confidence  and  respect.  The  gentle 
man  who  had  accompanied  me  from  Alexandria,  left  in  the  evening, 
and  I  remained  alone  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  Washington, 
for  two  of  the  richest  days  of  my  life.  I  saw  him  reaping  the  reward 
of  his  illustrious  deeds,  in  the  quiet  shade  of  his  beloved  retirement. 
He  was  at  the  matured  age  of  fifty-three.  Alexander  and  Caesar  both 
died  before  they  reached  that  period  of  life,  and  both  had  immortalized 
their  names.  How  much  stronger  and  nobler  the  claims  of  Washing 
ton  to  immortality!  In  the  impulses  of  mad  and  selfish  ambition,  they 
acquired  fame  by  wading  to  the  conquest  of  the  world  through  seas  of 
blood.  Washington,  on  the  contrary,  was  parsimonious  of  the  blood 
of  his  countrymen,  and  stood  forth,  the  pure  and  virtuous  champion  of 
their  rights,  and  formed  for  them,  (not  himself,)  a  mighty  Empire. 

To  have  communed  with  such  a  man  in  the  bosom  of  his  family, 
I  shall  always  regard  as  one  of  the  highest  privileges,  and  most 
cherished  incidents  of  my  life.  I  found  him  kind  and  benignant  in 
the  domestic  circle,  revered  and  beloved  by  all  around  him;  agreeably 
social,  without  ostentation;  delighting  in  anecdote  and  adventures, 
without  assumption;  his  domestic  arrangements  harmonious  and 
systematic.  His  servants  seemed  to  watch  his  eye,  and  to  anticipate 
his  every  wish;  hence  a  look  was  equivalent  to  a  command.  His 
servant  Billy,  the  faithful  companion  of  his  military  career,  was  always 
at  his  side.  Smiling  content  animated  and  beamed  on  every  counte 
nance  in  his  presence. 

The  first  evening  I  spent  under  the  wing  of  his  hospitality,  we  sat 
a  full  hour  at  table  by  ourselves,  without  the  least  interruption,  after 
the  family  had  retired.  I  was  extremely  oppressed  by  a  severe  cold 


1 76  ELK  AN  AH  WATSON. 

and  excessive  coughing,  contracted  by  the  exposure  of  a  harsh  winter 
journey.  He  pressed  me  to  use  some  remedies,  but  I  declined  doing 
so.  As  usual  after  retiring,  my  coughing  increased.  When  some 
time  had  elapsed,  the  door  of  my  room  was  gently  opened,  and  on 
drawing  my  bed-curtains,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  I  beheld  Washing 
ton  himself,  standing  at  my  bed-side,  with  a  bowl  of  hot  tea  in  his 
hand.  I  was  mortified  and  distressed  beyond  expression.  This  little 
incident,  occurring  in  common  life,  with  an  ordinary  man,  would  not 
have  been  noticed ;  but  as  a  trait  of  the  benevolence  and  private  virtue 
of  Washington,  deserves  to  be  recorded. 


ELKANAH  WATSON  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  January  22,  1758,  and  died  at  Port 
Kent,  New  York,  December  5,  1842.  In  August  1779  he  was  bearer  of  dispatches  to  Frank 
lin  at  Paris,  and  afterwards  opened  a  commercial  house  at  Nantes,  in  which  enterprise  how 
ever,  after  a  short  period  of  prosperity,  he  failed.  He  then  visited  England,  Holland  and 
Flanders,  and  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1784,  settling  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1807  and 
devoting  himself  to  agriculture.  In  1816  he  went  to  Albany  and  organized  the  first  Agri 
cultural  Society  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  in  1828  moved  to  Port  Kent  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  His  Journals  recording  his  observations  of  men  and  incidents,  as  the  events  occurred 
to  which  they  relate,  were  revised  by  him  in  1821,  and  published  at  New  York  in  1856,  by 
his  son  Winslow,  under  the  title,  "  Men  and  Times  of  the  Revolution  or  Memoirs  of  Elkanah 
Watson,"  8vo.,  from  which  we  quote. 


COUNT  DE  SEGUR. 

1824. 

ONE  of  my  most  earnest  wishes  was  to  see  Washington,  the  hero 
of  America.  He  was  then  encamped  at  a  short  distance  from  us,  and 
the  Count  de  Rochambeau  was  kind  enough  to  introduce  me  to  him. 
Too  often  reality  disappoints  the  expectations  our  imagination  had 
raised,  and  admiration  diminishes  by  a  too  near  view  of  the  object 
upon  which  it  had  been  bestowed ;  but,  on  seeing  General  Washing 
ton,  I  found  a  perfect  similarity  between  the  impression  produced  upon 
me  by  his  aspect,  and  the  idea  I  had  formed  of  him. 

His  exterior  disclosed,  as  it  were,  the  history  of  his  life:  simplic 
ity,  grandeur,  dignity,  calmness,  goodness,  firmness,  the  attributes  of 
his  character,  were  also  stamped  upon  his  features,  and  in  all  his  per 
son.  His  stature  was  noble  and  elevated;  the  expression  of  his  feat 
ures  mild  and  benevolent;  his  smile  graceful  and  pleasing;  his  man 
ners  simple,  without  familiarity. 

He  did  not  display  the  luxury  of  a  monarchical  general;  every 
thing  announced  in  him  the  hero  of  a  republic;  he  inspired  with, 
rather  than  commanded  respect,  and  the  expression  of  all  those  that 
surrounded  his  person  manifested  the  existence  in  their  breasts  of  feel 
ings  of  sincere  affection,  and  of  that  entire  confidence  in  the  chief  upon 
whom  they  seemed  exclusively  to  found  all  their  hopes  of  safety.  His 
quarters,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  camp,  offered  the  image  of  the 
23  (177) 


1 78  CO  UNT  DE  SEG  UR. 

order  and  regularity  displayed  in  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life,  his  man 
ner,  and  conduct. 

I  had  expected  to  find,  in  this  popular  camp,  soldiers  ill  equipped 
officers  without  instruction,  republicans  destitute  of  that  urbanity  so 
common  in  our  old  civilized  countries.  I  recollected  the  first  moment 
of  their  revolution,  when  husbandmen,  and  artizans,  who  had  never 
held  a  gun,  had  hastened,  without  order,  and  in  the  name  of  their 
country,  to  go  and  fight  the  British  phalanxes,  offering  only  to  the 
view  of  their  astonished  enemies  an  assemblage  of  rough  and  unpol 
ished  beings,  whose  only  military  insignia  consisted  of  a  cap,  upon 
which  the  word  liberty  was  written. 

It  will,  therefore,  be  easily  imagined  how  much  I  was  surprised 
at  finding  an  army  well  disciplined,  in  which  every  thing  offered  the 
aspect  of  order,  reason,  information,  and  experience.  The  manners 
and  language  of  the  generals,  their  aids-de-camp,  and  the  other  officers 
were  noble  and  appropriate,  and  were  heightened  by  that  natural  be 
nevolence  which  appears  to  me  as  much  preferable  to  politeness,  as  a 
mild  countenance  is  preferable  to  a  mask  upon  which  the  utmost 
labour  has  been  bestowed  to  render  its  features  graceful. 

The  personal  dignity  of  each  individual,  the  noble  pride  with 
which  all  were  inspired  by  the  love  of  liberty,  and  a  sentiment  of 
equality,  had  been  no  slight  obstacles  to  the  elevation  of  a  chief,  who 
was  to  rise  above  them  without  exciting  their  jealousy,  and  to  subject 
their  independent  spirit  to  the  rules  of  discipline  without  promoting 
discontent. 

Any  other  man  but  Washington  would  have  failed  in  the  attempt; 
but  such  were  his  genius  and  his  wisdom,  that,  in  the  midst  of  the 


COUNT  DE  SEGUR.  179 

storms  of  a  revolution,  he  commanded,  during  seven  years,  the  army 
of  a  free  nation,  without  exciting  the  alarms  of  his  countrymen,  or  the 
suspicions  of  the  Congress. 

Under  every  circumstance  he  united  in  his  favor  the  suffrages  of 
rich  and  poor,  magistrate  and  warriors;  in  short,  Washington  is,  per 
haps,  the  only  man  who  ever  conducted  and  terminated  a  civil  war 
without  having  drawn  upon  himself  any  deserved  censure.*  As  it  was 
known  to  all  that  he  entirely  disregarded  his  own  private  interest,  and 
consulted  solely  the  general  welfare,  he  enjoyed,  during  his  life,  those 
unanimous  homages  which  the  greatest  men  generally  fail  to  receive 
from  their  contemporaries,  and  which  they  must  only  expect  from 
posterity.  It  might  have  been  said  that  envy,  seeing  him  so  highly 
established  in  public  estimation,  had  become  discouraged,  and  cast 
away  her  shafts  in  despair  of  their  ever  being  able  to  reach  him. 

Washington,  when  I  saw  him,  was  forty-nine  years  of  age.  He 
endeavored  modestly  to  avoid  the  marks  of  admiration  and  respect 
which  were  so  anxiously  offered  to  him,  and  yet  no  man  ever  knew 
better  how  to  receive  and  to  acknowledge  them.  He  listened,  with 
an  obliging  attention,  to  all  those  who  addressed  him,  and  the  expres 
sion  of  his  countenance  had  conveyed  his  answer  before  he  spoke. 

Inspired  with  the  purest  and  most  disinterested  love  for  his 
country,  he  refused  to  receive  the  salary  assigned  to  him  as  general- 

*  This  point  is  more  forcibly  expressed  by  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  page  27.  William 
Ellery  Charming,  also  in  his  Essay  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  {Dis 
courses,  Reviews,  &c.,  f8jo)  says :  "  To  Washington  belonged  the  proud  distinction  of  being 
the  leader  in  a  revolution,  without  awakening  one  doubt  or  solicitude  as  to  the  spotless  purity 
of  his  purpose." — ED. 


1 80  CO  UNT  DE  SEG  UR. 


in-chief,  and  it  was  almost  in  spite  of  him  that  the  state  undertook  to 
defray  the  cost  of  his  table.  That  table  was,  every  day,  prepared  for 
thirty  guests,  and  the  dinner,  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
English  and  of  the  Americans,  lasted  several  hours,  was  concluded  by 
numerous  toasts.  Those  most  generally  given  were — "The  indepen 
dence  of  the  United  States" — "The  King  and  Queen  of  France" — 
"Success  to  the  Allied  Armies."  After  these  came  private  toasts,  or, 
as  they  were  called  in  America,  "sentiments."  In  general,  after  the 
table  had  been  cleared,  and  nothing  was  left  but  bottles  and  cheese, 
the  company  still  remained  seated  round  it  until  night  Temperance 
was,  however,  one  of  Washington's  virtues;  and,  in  thus  protracting 
the  duration  of  his  repast,  he  had  only  one  object  in  view;  the  pleasure 
of  conversation,  which  afforded  a  diversion  from  his  cares,  and  repose 
from  his  fatigues. 

General  Washington  received  me  with  great  kindness.  He  spoke 
to  me  of  the  gratitude  which  his  country  would  ever  retain  for  the 
King  of  France  and  for  his  generous  assistance ;  highly  extolled  the 
wisdom  and  skill  of  General  Count  de  Rochambeau,  expressing  him 
self  honored  by  having  deserved  and  obtained  his  friendship ;  warmly 
commended  the  bravery  and  discipline  of  our  army;  and  concluded 
by  speaking  to  me,  in  very  obliging  and  handsome  terms,  of  my  father 
whose  long  services  and  numerous  wounds  were  becoming  ornaments, 
he  said,  to  a  minister  of  war. 


Louis  PHILLIPE,  COUNT  DE  SEGUR,  son  of  Marshal  Segur,  minister  of  war  under  Louis 
XVI,  was  born  at  Paris,  December  loth,  1753,  and  died  there  August  27th,  1832.  He 
entered  the  army  in  1767,  and  being  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  to  the  regiment  de  Soisson- 
nais  then  in  America,  embarked  May  igth,  1782,  on  board  the  frigate  La  Gloire  for  the 


COUNT  DE  SEGUR.  181 

United  States,  but  in  consequence  of  an  accident  to  the  vessel,  and  through  conflicting  orders 
did  not  leave  France  until  July  I5th.  After  an  eventful  voyage,  being  also  intercepted  by  an 
English  Squadron  in  Delaware  Bay,  and  obliged  to  make  a  landing  by  boats,  he  succeeded 
in  joining  his  regiment  in  camp  at  Crampond,  nine  miles  from  Peekskill,  on  the  Hudson, 
September  26th.  He  shortly  afterwards  dined  with  Washington  at  his  headquarters  at  Ver- 
planck's  Point,  and  returned  to  France  with  his  regiment,  sailing  from  Boston,  December  24th, 
of  the  same  year.  Our  extract  is  from  his  "  Memoirs  and  Recollections,"  written  in  1824, 
and  of  which  a  translation  was  published  at  Boston  in  1825.  8vo.  The  Count  represented 
France  at  the  Court  of  St.  Petersburg  in  1789,  as  mentioned  by  PAUL  JONES  in  a  letter  to 
Washington,  dated  Amsterdam,  December  2oth  of  that  year,  which,  being  pertinent  to  our 
subject  we  transcribe.  "  Sir, — I  avail  myself  of  the  departure  of  the  Philadelphia  packet, 
Captain  Earle,  to  transmit  to  your  excellency  a  letter  I  received  for  you  on  leaving  Russia  in 
August  last,  from  my  friend,  the  Count  de  Segur,  minister  of  France  at  St.  Petersburg.  That 
gentleman  and  myself  have  frequently  conversed  on  subjects  that  regard  America:  and  the 
most  pleasing  reflection  of  all  has  been,  the  happy  establishment  of  the  new  constitution,  and 
that  you  are  so  deservedly  placed  at  the  head  of  the  government  by  the  unanimous  voice  of 
America.  Your  name  alone,  Sir,  has  established  in  Europe  a  confidence  that  was  for  some 
time  before  entirely  wanting  in  American  concerns ;  and  I  am  assured,  that  the  happy  effects 
of  your  administration  are  still  more  sensibly  felt  throughout  the  United  States.  This  is  more 
glorious  for  you  than  all  the  laurels  that  your  sword  so  nobly  won  in  the  support  of  the  rights 
of  human  nature.  In  war  your  fame  is  immortal  as  the  hero  of  liberty !  In  peace  you  are  her 
patron,  and  the  firmest  supporter  of  her  rights !  Your  greatest  admirers,  and  even  your  best 
friends,  have  now  but  one  wish  left  for  you, — that  you  may  long  enjoy  health  and  your  present 
happiness." 


CHATEAUBRIAND. 

1828. 

IF  we  compare  Washington  and  Buonaparte,  man  to  man,  the 
genius  of  the  former  seems  of  a  less  elevated  order  than  that  of  the 
latter.  Washington  belongs  not,  like  Buonaparte,  to  that  race  of  the 
Alexanders  and  Caesars,  who  surpass  the  ordinary  stature  of  mankind- 
Nothing  astonishing  attaches  to  his  person ;  he  is  not  placed  on  a  vast 
theatre;  he  is  not  pitted  against  the  ablest  captains  and  the  mightiest 
monarchs  of  his  time ;  he  traverses  no  seas ;  he  hurries  not  from  Mem 
phis  to  Vienna  and  from  Cadiz  to  Moscow :  he  defends  himself  with  a 
handful  of  citizens  on  a  soil  without  recollections  and  without  celebrity, 
in  the  narrow  circle  of  the  domestic  hearths.  He  fights  none  of  those 
battles  which  renew  the  triumphs  of  Arbela  and  Pharsalia;  he  over 
turns  no  thrones  to  re-compose  others  with  their  ruins ;  he  places  not 
his  foot  on  the  necks  of  kings;  he  sends  not  word  to  them  in  the  ves 
tibules  of  his  palaces, 

Qu'ils  se  font  trop  attendre,  et  qu'  Attila  s'ennuie. 

Something  of  stillness  envelopes  the  actions  of  Washington ;  he  acts 
deliberately :  you  would  say  that  he  feels  himself  to  be  the  represen 
tative  of  the  liberty  of  future  ages,  and  that  he  is  afraid  of  compromis 
ing  it.  It  is  not  his  own  destinies  but  those  of  his  country  with  which 
this  hero  of  a  new  kind  is  charged;  he  allows  not  himself  to  hazard 
what  does  not  belong  to  him.  But  what  light  bursts  forth  from  this 
(182) 


CHATEAUBRIAND.  183 


profound  obscurity !  Search  the  unknown  forests  where  glistened  the 
sword  of  Washington,  what  will  you  find  there?  graves?  no!  a  world! 
Washington  has  left  the  United  States  for  a  trophy  of  his  field  of  battle. 

Buonaparte  has  not  any  one  characteristic  of  this  grave  American : 
he  fights  on  an  old  soil,  surrounded  with  glory  and  celebrity;  he  wishes 
to  create  nothing  but  his  own  renown ;  he  takes  upon  himself  nothing 
but  his  own  aggrandizement.  He  seems  to  be  aware  that  his  mission 
will  be  short,  that  the  torrent  which  falls  from  such  a  height  will 
speedily  be  exhausted:  he  hastens  to  enjoy  and  to  abuse  his  glory,  as 
men  do  a  fugitive  youth.  Like  the  gods  of  Homer,  he  wants  to  reach 
the  end  of  the  world  in  four  steps :  he  appears  on  every  shore,  he 
hastily  inscribes  his  name  in  the  annals  of  every  nation;  he  throws 
crowns  as  he  runs  to  his  family  and  his  soldiers ;  he  is  in  a  hurry  in 
his  monuments,  in  his  laws,  in  his  victories.  Stooping  over  the  world, 
with  one  hand  he  overthrows  kings,  and  with  the  other  strikes  down 
the  revolutionary  giant;  but  in  crushing  anarchy  he  stifles  liberty,  and 
finally  loses  his  own  in  the  field  of  his  last  battle. 

Each  is  rewarded  according  to  his  works :  Washington  raises  his 
nation  to  independence :  a  retired  magistrate  he  sinks  quietly  to  rest 
beneath  his  paternal  roof,  amid  the  regrets  of  his  countrymen  and  the 
veneration  of  all  nations. 

Buonaparte  robbed  a  nation  of  its  independence :  a  fallen  emperor, 
he  is  hurried  into  an  exile  where  the  fears  of  the  world  deem  him  not 
safely  enough  imprisoned  in  the  custody  of  the  ocean.  So  long  as, 
feeble  and  chained  upon  a  rock,  he  struggles  with  death,  Europe  dares 
not  lay  down  its  arms.  He  expires  :  this  intelligence,  published  at  the 
gate  of  the  palace  before  which  the  conqueror  had  caused  so  many 


1 84  CHATEAUBRIAND. 


funerals  to  be  proclaimed,  neither  stops  nor  astonishes  the  passenger : 
what  had  the  citizens  to  deplore? 

The  republic  of  Washington  subsists,  whereas  the  empire  of 
Buonaparte  is  destroyed :  he  died  between  the  first  and  second  voyage 
of  a  Frenchman,  who  found  a  grateful  nation  where  he  had  fought  for 
a  few  oppressed  colonists. 

Washington  and  Buonaparte  sprang  from  the  bosom  of  a  republic : 
both  born  of  liberty,  the  one  was  faithful  to  it,  the  other  betrayed  it. 
Their  lot  in  futurity  will  be  as  different  as  their  choice. 

The  name  of  Washington  will  spread  with  liberty  from  age  to 
age;  it  will  mark  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  for  mankind. 

The  name  of  Buonaparte  also  will  be  repeated  by  future  genera 
tions;  but  it  will  not  be  accompanied  with  any  benediction,  and  will 
frequently  serve  for  authority  to  oppressors,  great  or  small. 

Washington  was  completely  the  representative  of  the  wants,  the 
ideas,  the  knowledge,  and  the  opinions  of  his  time;  he  seconded  in 
stead  of  thwarting  the  movement  of  mind;  he  aimed  at  that  which  it 
was  his  duty  to  aim  at:  hence  the  coherence  and  the  perpetuity  of  his 
work.  This  man,  who  appears  not  very  striking,  because  he  is 
natural  and  in  his  just  proportions,  blended  his  existence  with  that  of 
his  country;  his  glory  is  the  common  patrimony  of  growing  civiliza 
tion  :  his  renown  towers  like  one  of  those  sanctuaries,  whence  flows 
an  inexhaustible  spring  for  the  people. 


FRANCOIS  AUGUSTE,  VICOMTE  DE  CHATEAUBRIAND,  the  celebrated  French  author,  was 
born  at  St.  Malo,  September  4,  1768,  and  died,  July  4,  1848.  He  received  his  early  educa 
tion  in  the  college  at  Rennes.  Impelled  by  a  desire  to  travel,  he  sailed  for  the  United  States, 
May  6,  1791,  and  landing  at  Baltimore,  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  dined  with 


CHATEAUBRIAND.  185 

Washington.  After  traveling  quite  extensively  through  the  country,  and  noticing  particu 
larly  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  Indians,  he  returned  to  France  the  following  year.  His 
"Travels  in  America  and  Italy,"  were  translated  and  published  in  two  vols.,  8vo,  at  London, 
in  1 828,  from  volume  first  of  which,  we  extract  the  above  parallel  between  Washington  and 
Buonaparte.  Chateaubriand  in  referring  to  his  visit  to  Washington,  says,  "  Such  was  my 
interview  with  the  man  who  gave  liberty  to  a  whole  world.  Washington  sunk  into  the  tomb 
before  any  little  celebrity  had  attached  to  my  name.  I  passed  before  him  as  the  most  un 
known  of  beings ;  he  was  in  all  his  glory,  I  in  the  depth  of  my  obscurity.  My  name  probably 
dwelt  not  a  whole  day  in  his  memory.  Happy,  however,  that  his  looks  were  cast  upon  me  ! 
I  have  felt  myself  warmed  for  it  all  the  rest  of  my  life.  There  is  a  virtue  in  the  looks  of  a 
great  man." 


WILLIAM  SULLIVAN. 

1833- 

THE  following  are  recollections  of  Washington,  derived  from  re 
peated  opportunities  of  seeing  him  during  the  three  last  years  of  his 
public  life.  He  was  over  six  feet  in  stature ;  of  strong,  bony,  muscular 
frame,  without  fullness  of  covering,  well-formed  and  straight.  He 
was  a  man  of  most  extraordinary  strength.  In  his  own  house,  his 
action  was  calm,  deliberate,  and  dignified,  without  pretension  to 
gracefulness,  or  peculiar  manner,  but  merely  natural,  and  such  as 
one  would  think  it  should  be  in  such  a  man.  When  walking  in  the 
street,  his  movement  had  not  the  soldierly  air  which  might  be 
expected.  His  habitual  motions  had  been  formed,  long  before  he  took 
command  of  the  American  Armies,  in  the  wars  of  the  interior  and  in 
the  surveying  of  wilderness  lands,  employments  in  which  grace  and 
elegance  were  not  likely  to  be  acquired.  At  the  age  of  sixty-five,  time 
had  done  nothing  towards  bending  him  out  of  his  natural  erectness. 
His  deportment  was  invariably  grave;  it  was  sobriety  that  stopped 
short  of  sadness.  His  presence  inspired  a  veneration,  and  a  feeling  of 
awe,  rarely  experienced  in  the  presence  of  any  man.  His  mode  of 
speaking  was  slow  and  deliberate,  not  as  though  he  was  in  search  of 
fine  words,  but  that  he  might  utter  those  only  adapted  to  his  purpose. 

It  was  the  usage  for  all  persons  in  good  society,  to  attend  Mrs. 
Washington's  levee  every  Friday  evening.  He  was  always  present. 
(186) 


WILLIAM  SULL1  VAN.  1 87 

The  young  ladies  used  to  throng  around  him,  and  engage  him  in  con 
versation.  There  were  some  of  the  well-remembered  belles  of  that  day, 
who  imagined  themselves  to  be  favorites  with  him.  As  these  were 
the  only  opportunities  which  they  had  of  conversing  with  him,  they 
were  disposed  to  use  them.  One  would  think,  that  a  gentleman  and 
gallant  soldier,  if  he  could  ever  laugh,  or  dress  his  countenance  in 
smiles,  would  do  so  when  surrounded  by  young  and  admiring  beauties. 
But  this  was  never  so ;  the  countenance  of  Washington  never  softened ; 
nor  changed  its  habitual  gravity.  One  who  had  lived  always  in  his 
family,  said,  that  his  manner  in  public  life,  and  in  the  seclusion  of  most 
retired  life,  was  always  the  same.  Being  asked  whether  Washington 
could  laugh;  this  person  said,  that  this  was  a  rare  occurrence,  but  that 
one  instance  was  remembered,  when  he  laughed  most  heartily  at  her 
narration  of  an  incident  in  which  she  was  a  party  concerned ;  and  in 
which  he  applauded  her  agency. 


WILLIAM  SULLIVAN  was  born  at  Saco,  Maine,  November  30,  1774,  and  died  at  Boston, 
Mass.  September  3,  1839.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1792,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1795,  and  practiced  for  many  years  with  great  reputation  in  Boston.  He  published  a 
number  of  addresses,  was  an  elegant  scholar  and  a  persuasive  orator.  Our  extract  is  from  a 
letter  dated  March  30,  1833,  one  of  a  series  published  at  Boston,  in  1834,  under  the  title  of 
"  Familiar  letters  on  the  public  men  of  the  Revolution,"  8vo,  written  in  vindication  of  the 
Federal  party.  An  enlarged  edition,  title  "The  public  men  of  the  Revolution,"  with  a  bio 
graphical  sketch  of  the  author  by  his  son,  John  T.  S.  Sullivan,  was  published  at  Philadelphia 
in  1847. 


JAMES  K.  PAULDING. 

1835- 

IN  analyzing  the  character  of  Washington,  there  is  nothing  that 
strikes  me  as  more  admirable  than  its  beautiful  symmetry.  In  this 
respect  it  is  consummate.  His  different  qualities  were  so  nicely  bal 
anced,  so  rarely  associated,  of  such  harmonious  affinities,  that  no  one 
seemed  to  interfere  with  another,  or  predominate  over  the  whole. 
The  natural  ardour  of  his  disposition  was  steadily  restrained  by  a 
power  of  self-command  which  it  dared  not  disobey.  His  caution 
never  degenerated  into  timidity,  nor  his  courage  into  imprudence  or 
temerity.  His  memory  was  accompanied  by  a  sound,  unerring  judg 
ment,  which  turned  its  acquisitions  to  the  best  advantage;  his  industry 
and  economy  of  time  neither  rendered  him  dull  or  unsocial;  his  dig 
nity  never  was  vitiated  by  pride  or  harshness,  and  his  unconquerable 
firmness  was  free  from  obstinacy,  or  self-willed  arrogance.  He  was 
gigantic,  but  at  the  same  time  he  was  well-proportioned  and  beautiful. 
It  was  this  symmetry  of  parts  that  diminished  the  apparent  magnitude 
of  the  whole;  as  in  those  fine  specimens  of  Grecian  architecture,  where 
the  size  of  the  temple  seems  lessened  by  its  perfection.  There  are 
plenty  of  men  who  become  distinguished  by  the  predominance  of  one 
single  faculty,  or  the  exercise  of  a  solitary  virtue;  but  few,  very  few, 
present  to  our  contemplation  such  a  combination  of  virtues  unalloyed 
by  a  single  vice ;  such  a  succession  of  actions,  both  public  and  private, 
in  which  even  his  enemies  can  find  nothing  to  blame, 
(i  88) 


JAMES  K.  PAULDING.  .      189 

Assuredly  he  stands  almost  alone  in  the  world.  He  occupies  a 
region  where  there  are,  unhappily  for  mankind,  but  few  inhabitants. 
The  Grecian  biographer  could  easily  find  parallels  for  Alexander  and 
Caesar,  but  were  he  living  now,  he  would  meet  with  great  difficulty 
in  selecting  one  for  Washington.  There  seems  to  be  an  elevation 
of  moral  excellence,  which,  though  possible  to  attain  to,  few  ever 
approach.  As  in  ascending  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Andes,  we  at  length 
arrive  at  a  line  where  vegetation  ceases,  and  the  principle  of  life  seems 
extinct;  so  in  the  gradations  of  human  character,  there  is  an  elevation 
which  is  never  attained  by  mortal  man.  A  few  have  approached  it, 
and  none  nearer  than  Washington. 

He  is  eminently  conspicuous  as  one  of  the  great  benefactors  of 
the  human  race,  for  he  not  only  gave  liberty  to  millions,  but  his  name 
now  stands,  and  will  for  ever  stand,  a  noble  example  to  high  and  low. 
He  is  a  great  work  of  the  Almighty  artist,  which  none  can  study  with 
out  receiving  purer  ideas  and  more  lofty  conceptions  of  the  grace  and 
beauty  of  the  human  character.  He  is  one  that  all  may  copy  at 
different  distances,  and  whom  none  can  contemplate  without  receiving 
lasting  and  salutary  impressions  of  the  sterling  value,  the  inexpressible 
beauty  of  piety,  integrity,  courage,  and  patriotism,  associated  with  a 
clear,  vigorous,  and  well-poised  intellect. 

Pure,  and  widely  disseminated  as  is  the  fame  of  this  great  and 
good  man,  it  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  It  is  every  day  taking  deeper  root 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  and  the  estimation  of  strangers,  and 
spreading  its  branches  wider  and  wider,  to  the  air  and  skies.  He  is 
already  become  the  saint  of  liberty,  which  has  gathered  new  honours 
by  being  associated  with  his  name;  and  when  men  aspire  to  free 


1 9o  JAMES  K.  PAULDING. 

nations,  they  must  take  him  for  a  model.  It  is,  then,  not  without 
ample  reason  that  the  suffrages  of  mankind  have  combined  to  place 
Washington  at  the  head  of  his  race.  If  we  estimate  him  by  the  exam 
ples  recorded  in  history,  he  stands  without  a  parallel  in  the  virtues 
he  exhibited,  and  the  vast,  unprecedented  consequences  resulting  from 
their  exercise.  The  whole  world  was  the  theatre  of  his  actions,  and 
all  mankind  are  destined  to  partake  sooner  or  later  in  their  results. 
He  is  a  hero  of  a  new  species :  he  had  no  model ;  will  he  have  any 
imitators?  Time,  which  bears  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  common 
cut-throats  to  the  ocean  of  oblivion,  only  adds  new  lustre  to  his  fame, 
new  force  to  his  example,  and  new  strength  to  the  reverential  affection 
of  all  good  men.  What  a  glorious  fame  is  his,  to  be  acquired  without 
guilt,  and  enjoyed  without  envy;  to  be  cherished  by  millions  living, 
hundreds  of  millions  yet  unborn !  Let  the  children  of  my  country 
prove  themselves  worthy  of  his  virtues,  his  labours,  and  his  sacrifices, 
by  reverencing  his  name  and  imitating  his  piety,  integrity,  industry, 
fortitude,  patience,  forbearance,  and  patriotism.  So  shall  they  become 
fitted  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  freedom  and  the  bounties  of  heaven. 


JAMES  KIRKE  PAULDING  was  born  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  August  22d,  1779, 
and  died  at  Hyde  Parke,  New  York,  April  $th,  1860.  He  went  in  early  life  to  New  York 
City,  and  becoming  acquainted  with  Washington  Irving,  began  with  him  in  1807,  a  humorous 
and  satirical  magazine  entitled  "  Salmagundi."  He  wrote'many  novels  and  tales  which  be 
came  very  popular,  was  an  elegant  essayist,  and  excelled  in  humorous  satire.  The  "  Life  of 
Washington,"  from  which  we  quote,  was  published  at  New  York,  in  1835.  2  vols.,  i6mo. 
It  is  stated  that  five  thousand  copies  of  this  work  were  purchased  for  the  public  schools  in  the 
United  States.  An  edition  was  published  in  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  in  1836. 


CYRUS  R.  EDMONDS. 

1835- 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  died  in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  His  con 
stitution"  had  always  been  robust,  and  although  it  had  recently  suffered 
in  some  degree  from  the  labours  and  vexations  of  political  life,  yet  it 
is  evident  from  the  amount  of  business  which  he  daily  accomplished, 
that  it  retained  to  the  last  much  of  its  pristine  vigour.  His  person 
was  fine,  his  stature  and  bearing  erect,  easy,  and  dignified,  and  he  is 
said  by  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends  to  have  been  "The  best  horse 
man  of  his  age,  and  the  most  graceful  figure  that  could  be  seen  on 
horseback."  * 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  delineate  his  character  with  minuteness 
and  accuracy.  It  was  marked  by  few  prominent  and  distinguishing 
features.  Though  as  a  whole  it  exhibited  a  singular  instance  of  great 
ness,  it  possessed  but  few  individual  elements  in  which  it  far  surpassed 
the  higher  class  of  men.  Its  imposing  effect  is  more  dependent  upon 
the  nice  balance  and  exact  symmetry  of  parts,  than  upon  the  com 
manding  stature  of  any  of  his  faculties,  if  estimated  singly.  Yet  there 
was  in  him,  as  was  remarked  of  Sir  Thomas  More,  whom,  in  some 
respects,  he  strongly  resembled,  a  certain  original  homeliness,  and  even 
roughness,  which  relieves  the  insipidity  of  a  character  in  which  the 
physical  passions  and  the  moral  powers  are  seen  in  such  perfect  equi 
poise. 

*  Thomas  Jefferson,  page   169. — ED. 

(190 


1 92  CYRUS  R.  EDMONDS. 

It  is  obvious  to  remark  that  the  greatness  of  Washington  did  not 
consist  in  any  extraordinary  development  of  the  intellectual  faculties. 
He  was  not  pre-eminently  an  intellectual  man.  Though  he  possessed 
that  acuteness  of  perception  which  seems  gradually  to  unravel  an  in 
tricate  subject,  and  to  pierce  as  far  into  futurity  as  is  permitted  to  men 
—yet  his  mind  was  slow  in  its  operations,  and  thus  resembles  an 
optical  instrument,  which  is  difficult  of  adjustment,  but  which,  when 
regulated  by  care,  brings  into  distinct  view  the  most  minute  and 
distant  objects.  Thus  his  conversation  rarely  developed  the  exercise 
of  a  discursive  intellect,  or  of  a  brilliant  imagination,  though  it  always 
indicated  a  sound  understanding;  and  the  temperate  movements  of  a 
well  regulated  mind. 

As  little  did  his  greatness  depend  upon  his  literary  acquirements. 
For  such  pursuits  he  had  through  life  but  little  leisure,  and  apparently 
no  very  marked  predilection.  His  composition  was  nervous  and 
correct,  warmed  occasionally  by  a  zealous  interest  in  his  subject,  and 
doubtless  formed  by  the  perusal  of  excellent  models,  but  generally 
diffuse,  and  partaking  of  all  the  characteristics  of  his  conversation,  and 
his  public  addresses.  There  is  indeed  a  deep  interest  attaching  to  all 
his  written  remains ;  but  it  will  be  generally  found  to  terminate  upon 
the  comprehensive  views  which  they  exhibit,  and  upon  the  patriotic, 
moral,  and  religious  sentiments  by  which  they  are  occasionally  elevated 
into  perfect  sublimity.  They  indicate  but  little  originality  or  fancy. 
He  was  naturally  averse  to  speculation,  and  seems  to  have  estimated 
everything  according  to  its  practical  tendency.  At  the  same  time  it 
is  proper  to  distinguish  between  his  system  of  opinions,  and  those  of 
a  contemporary  school  of  pseudo-philosophers  in  France,  who  pre- 


CYRUS  R.  EDMONDS.  193 

tended  to  tread  in  his  footsteps,  but  whose  notions,  professedly  based 
upon  expediency,  tended  to  supersede  every  moral  duty,  and  to  eman 
cipate  mankind  from  the  tender  bonds  of  their  primary  and  instinctive 
emotions.  As  little  is  he  to  be  confounded  with  some  other  apostles 
of  liberty,  who,  while  they  offer  a  feigned  homage  to  virtue,  subordi 
nate  its  sanctions  to  short-sighted  considerations  of  utility. 

Nor  is  the  greatness  of  Washington  to  be  attributed  in  any  degree 
to  that  good  fortune  to  which  so  many  military  commanders  have 
owed  their  fame  and  success.  His  whole  life  was  one  of  constant 
difficulty  and  frequent  disappointment.  An  attentive  reader  of  his 
history  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  rare  exceptions  of  success 
which  crowned  his  best  efforts;  and  will  only  feel  surprise  that,  amidst 
such  a  succession  of  distressing  failures,  his  confidence  in  the  justice 
of  his  cause,  and  his  overwhelming  sense  of  duty,  preserved  him  from 
abandoning  in  despair  the  great  designs  which  he  had  formed. 

The  elements  of  his  greatness  are  chiefly  to  be  discovered  in  the 
moral  features  of  his  character.  In  this  point  of  view  it  is  as  easy  to 
account  for  his  superiority  to  many  men  of  equal  celebrity,  as  it  is  for 
the  greater  and  more  enduring  benefits  which  he  has  conferred  upon 
mankind.  There  have  been  many  whose  commanding  powers  of 
mind,  stimulated  by  personal  ambition  or  some  less  worthy  passion, 
have  placed  them  in  a  position  to  influence  the  destinies  of  nations. 
In  reviewing  their  history  the  mind  is  captivated  by  their  talents,  awed 
by  the  vastness  of  their  designs,  sympathises  in  their  elation,  and  par 
ticipates  for  a  moment  in  the  glory  of  their  success.  But  history 
knows  of  but  one,  raised  by  his  virtues  to  a  position  of  supreme  com 
mand,  who  identified  himself  with  his  people  in  all  but  the  prosperity 
25 


I94  CYRUS  R.  EDMONDS. 

he  achieved  for  them,  and  bequeathed  to  them  the  blessings  of  peace 
and  freedom,  without  injury  to  a  single  nation  upon  the  face  of  the 
globe.  In  all  other  instances  the  elevation  of  the  individual  has  cast 
upon  succeeding  generations  a  long  and  gloomy  shadow  of  public 
adversity  or  political  subserviency;  but  the  greatness  of  Washington 
stands  as  under  a  vertical  luminary,  while  the  whole  nation,  of  whom 
he  was  the  centre,  far  and  near,  partake  its  genial  warmth  and  rejoice 
in  its  reflected  beams. 


CYRUS  READ  EDMONDS  was  born  at  Exeter,  England,  September  14,  1809,  and  died 
near  London,  August  4,  1868.  His  father  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clarke  Edmonds,  M.A.,  was 
Pastor  of  a  Baptist  Church  at  Exeter,  but  removed  soon  after  the  birth  of  his  son,  to  Cambridge, 
where  he  succeeded  the  celebrated  divine,  Robert  Hall.  Mr.  Edmonds  assisted  his  father  in 
conducting  a  large  school  at  Cambridge,  having  been  privately  educated  by  University  tutors, 
— non- conformists  being  unable  at  the  time  to  enter  the  University — and  subsequently  engaged 
in  literary  work  in  London.  He  afterwards  lived  for  some  twelve  years  at  Leicester,  as  Head 
Master  of  the  Leicester  Proprietary  Grammar  School.  Our  extract  is  from  his  "  Life  and 
Times  of  General  Washington,"  London,  1835-6.  2  vols.,  i8mo.  The  work  is  written  with 
ability  and  impartiality,  and  the  character  of  Washington,  a  small  portion  only  of  which  we 
transcribe,  carefully  and  judiciously  considered. 


JAMES  GRAHAME. 
1836. 

THE  nomination  of  a  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  forces 
was  the  next,  and  not  the  least  important,  measure  which  demanded 
from  the  congress  the  united  exercise  of  its  wisdom  and  authority.  Its 
choice  (and  never  was  choice  more  happily  directed)  fell  upon  George 
Washington.*  *  *  *  * 

Nature  and  fortune  had  singularly  combined  to  adapt  and  to  desig 
nate  this  individual  for  the  distinguished  situations  which  he  now  and 
afterwards  attained,  and  the  arduous  duties  they  involved.  A  long 
struggle  to  defend  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  against  continual  incursions 
of  the  French  and  Indians, — the  command  of  a  clumsy,  ill-organized 
provincial  militia,  prouder  of  being  free  citizens  than  effective  soldiers, 
and  among  whom  he  had  to  introduce  and  establish  the  restraints  of 
discipline, — obliged  with  minute  labor  and  constant  activity  to  super 
intend  and  give  impulsion  to  every  department  of  the  service  over 
which  he  presided,  to  execute  as  well  as  order,  to  negotiate,  conciliate, 

*  "  The  congress  at  Philadelphia,  who  had  assumed  the  title  of  Representatives  of  the 
united  colonies  of  North  America,  appointed  as  commander-in-chief  Washington,  a  member 
from  Virginia,  who  had  previously  distinguished  himself.  He  was  one  of  those  virtuous 
citizens,  to  whom  the  world  refuses  the  credit  of  genius,  because  they  are  not  gifted  with  a 
destructive  restlessness,  nor  devoured  with  the  ambition  of  domineering  over  mankind ;  but 
who  really  deserve  the  name  of  great,  better  than  many  others,  because  their  number  is  rare." 
— FELIX  BODIN  :  Resumt  de  L"  Histoire  D 'Angleterre.  Bruxelles,  1824. — ED. 

(195) 


196  JAMES  GRAHAME. 


project,  command,  and  endure; — there  could  not  have  been  a  better 
preparatory  education  for  the  office  of  commander-in  chief  of  the  mot 
ley,  ardent,  and  untrained  levies  that  constituted  at  present  the  army 
of  America.  His  previous  functions  and  exertions,  arduous  rather  than 
splendid,  excited  respect  without  envy,  and,  combined  with  the  influence 
of  his  character  and  manners,  qualified  him  to  exercise  command  and 
prepared  his  countrymen  to  brook  his  ascendency.  The  language  and 
deportment  of  this  truly  great  man  were  in  general  remarkably  exempt 
from  every  strain  of  irr*egular  vehemence  and  every  symptom  of  inde- 
liberate  thought;  disclosing  an  even  tenor  of  steadfast  propriety,  an 
austere  but  graceful  simplicity,  sound  considerate  sense  and  prudence, 
the  gravity  of  a  profound  understanding  and  habitual  reflection,  and 
the  tranquil  grandeur  of  an  elevated  soul.  Of  this  moral  superiority, 
as  of  all  human  virtue,  part  was  the  fruit  of  wise  discipline  and  resolute 
self-control ;  for  Washington  was  naturally  passionate  and  irritable,  and 
had  increased  the  vigor  and  authority  of  every  better  quality  of  his 
mind  by  the  conquest  and  subjection  of  those  rebellious  elements  of 
its  composition.  Calm,  modest,  and  reserved,  yet  dignified,  intrepid, 
inflexibly  firm,  and  persevering ;  indefatigably  industrious  and  methodi 
cal;  just,  yet  merciful  and  humane;  frugal  and  calculating,  yet  disin 
terested;  circumspect,  yet  enterprising;  serious,  virtuous,  consistent, 
temperate,  and  sincere, — his  moral  portraiture  displays  a  blended 
variety  of  excellence,  in  which  it  is  difficult  to  assign  a  predominant 
lustre  to  any  particular  grace,  except  perhaps  a  grave  majestic  compos 
ure.  Ever  superior  to  fortune,  he  enjoyed  her  smiles  with  modera 
tion,  endured  her  frowns  with  serenity,  and  showed  himself  alike  in 
victory  forbearing,  and  in  defeat  undaunted.  No  danger  or  difficulty 


JAMES  GRAHAME.  197 

could  disturb  his  equanimity,  and  no  disaster  paralyze  his  energy  or 
dishearten  his  confidence.  The  same  adverse  vicissitude  that  would 
have  drained  an  ordinary  breast  of  all  its  spirit  served  but  to  call  forth 
new  streams  of  vigor  from  Washington's  generous  soul.  His  counte 
nance  and  general  aspect  corresponded  with  the  impression  produced 
by  his  character.  Fixed,  firm,  collected,  and  resolved,  yet  consider 
ately  kind,  it  seemed  composed  for  dignity  and  high  exploit.  A  sound 
believer  in  the  divine  doctrines  of  Christianity,  he  was  punctual  and 
devout  in  discharging  every  public  and  private  office  of  Christian  piety. 
Perhaps  there  never  was  another  man  who  trod  with  more  unsullied 
honor  the  highest  ways  of  glory,  or  whose  personal  character  and  con 
duct  exercised  an  influence  so  powerful  and  so  beneficial  on  the  destiny 
of  a  great  nation. 

JAMES  GRAHAME  was  born  at  Glasgow,  Scotland,  December  21,  1790,  and  died  in 
London,  July  3,  1842.  In  1812  he  was  admitted  an  advocate  at  the  Scottish  bar,  and  after 
fourteen  years  practice,  settled  on  account  of  ill  health  in  the  South  of  England,  and  com 
menced  his  "  History  of  the  United  States  of  America,  from  the  plantation  of  the  British 
Colonies  till  their  assumption  of  National  Independence,"  from  which  we  make  the  extract. 
The  first  two  volumes  appeared  in  1827,  and  a  new  edition,  4  vols.,  8vo,  in  1836,  bringing 
the  history  to  the  year  1776.  Republished  in  Philadelphia  in  1845,  w'tn  a  memoir  of  the 
author  by  Josiah  Quincy. 


EDWARD  C.  M'GUIRE. 

1836. 

THE  mental  and  moral  constitution  of  Washington  was  of  the 
most  excellent  kind.  He  possessed  faculties  and  affections  in  such 
peculiar  combination,  as  to  place  him  almost  alone  in  that  respect. 

His  mind  was  of  the  very  best  order.  The  structure  thereof  was 
plain,  but  on  a  scale  of  unusual  strength  and  greatness.  Its  basis 
seems  to  have  been  strong  common  sense.  To  this  was  superadded  a 
discernment  clear  and  penetrating;  a  memory  of  great  tenacity;  and  a 
judgment  as  sound  as  man  ever  possessed.  Imagination  had  but  little 
place  in  his  mind.  His  materials  of  thought  were  first  truths,  together 
with  such  facts  and  events  in  life  as  were  worthy  of  attention.  These 
he  carefully  marked  and  compared  with  one  another,  noting  their  rela 
tions  with  a  cool  and  enlightened  comprehension;  viewing  them  in  all 
their  aspects  and  bearings,  weighing  them  in  the  balances  of  the  mind, 
till  conducted  to  the  safest  and  soundest  conclusions  of  reason. 

He  was  alike  happy  in  his  moral  constitution.  Here  the  elements 
were  mixed  up  in  the  finest  and  most  admirable  proportions.  They 
were  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  higher  powers  of  the  mind.  The 
equipose  was  rare  and  excellent.  From  hence,  in  a  great  degree,  arose 
the  force  and  effectiveness  of  his  intellectual  efforts.  The  action  of  his 
mind  encountered  no  hindrance  from  the  waywardness  of  his  affections, 
or  the  turbulence  of  passion.  These  never  cast  obstacles  in  the  way 
(198) 


EDWARD  C.  MGUIRE.  199 

of  his  judgment,  or  embarrassed  its  decisions  by  a  conflict  between 
inclination  and  conviction.  With  feelings  unusually  healthy,  his 
understanding,  ordinarily,  had  free  and  unimpeded  course.  Unbiassed 
by  mere  emotions  of  the  breast,  he  always  regarded  objects  presented 
to  his  consideration,  with  a  steady  eye  and  serene  contemplation.  No 
delusive  vapour  ascending  from  a  selfish  bosom,  shut  out  from  his  mind 
the  bright  rays  of  truth.  His  perceptions  were  clear,  because  in  him 
were  united  a  sound  head,  with  an  honest  and  single  heart. 

The  moral  qualities  in  him  were  mingled  and  held  together  in  a 
combination  so  admirable,  that  they  all  tended  with  the  utmost  har 
mony  to  the  formation  of  a  character  so  remarkable.  He  united  in 
himself  affections,  dispositions  and  tempers,  which  are  never  looked 
for  in  the  same  person,  being  regarded  in  the  light  of  antagonistic  and 
contending  qualities.  They  are  often  found  to  exist  separately,  but 
not  unitedly,  proving  in  their  ordinary  operation,  destructive  of  each 
other.  But  in  him  they  appeared  to  exist  in  a  concord,  as  complete, 
as  it  was  marvellous.  Each  filled  with  energy  its  own  assigned  sphere, 
whilst  the  whole  were  promptly  combined,  when  the  union  was  neces 
sary  for  the  effectuation  of  great  and  important  objects. 

The  unequivocal  developments  of  his  character,  exhibit  him  as 
possessed  at  the  same  time  of  such  opposite  qualities  as  courage  and 
caution;  of  ardour  and  self-possession ;  of  decision  and  moderation;  of 
self-esteem  and  humility.  He  had  modesty  without  diffidence ;  benevo 
lence  without  ostentation ;  humanity  without  weakness.  In  him  fru 
gality  was  unattended  by  parsimony;  temperance  by  austerity;  the  love 
of  praise,  by  the  fear  of  censure.  He  was  dignified,  yet  condescending ; 
had  gravity  without  moroseness;  seriousness  without  gloom.  Quick 


200  EDWARD  C.  M' GUI  RE. 

in  discerning  defects  in  men,  he  was  yet  kind  to  all ;  alive  to  offence 
and  insult,  he  was  tolerant  and  ready  to  forgive.  He  was  of  incorrup 
tible  integrity;  had  the  highest  and  purest  sense  of  justice;  his  truth 
fulness  was  rigid;  and  his  faithfulness  to  principles  and  engagements 
unwavering.  He  loved  peace,  yet  was  ready  for  war,  when  duty  called. 
He  was  patriotic  without  ambition;  industrious  without  covetousness. 
He  was  affectionate  to  his  family  and  kindred;  kind  to  his  neighbors; 
obliging  to  his  friends;  courteous  to  associates;  compassionate  to  ser 
vants,  and  merciful  to  animals.  When  the  severity  of  the  trials  to 
which  his  patience  was  often  exposed,  is  considered,  the  wonder  is, 
not  that  he  should  have  been  sometimes  carried  away  by  them, 
but  that  he  should  have  so  frequently  resisted  them  with  success. 
Under  many  and  great  provocations,  he  was  usually  calm,  calling  to 
his  aid  that  self-command,  of  which  experience  had  taught  him  the 
necessity,  and  conscience  the  propriety.  Few  persons  so  constituted 
as  he  was  in  this  respect,  have  done  themselves,  or  others,  so  little 
injury  thereby. 


EDWARD  CHARLES  M'GuiRE,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Winchester,  Va.,  July  14,  1793,  and 
died  at  Fredericksburgh,  October  8,  1858,  where  for  forty-five  years  he  was  Rector  of  St. 
Georges  P.  E.  Church.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Major  William  M'Guire  of  the  Virginia 
line  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  and  married  a  daughter  of  Robert  Lewis,  one  of  the  nephews 
of  Washington.  His  "Religious  Opinions  and  Character  of  Washington,"  from  which  we 
quote,  was  published  at  New  York  in  1836.  I2mo. 


JARED  SPARKS. 

1837- 

THE  person  of  Washington  was  commanding,  graceful,  and  fitly 
proportioned;  his  stature  six  feet,  his  chest  broad  and  full,  his  limbs 
long  and  somewhat  slender,  but  well  shaped  and  muscular.  His  feat 
ures  were  regular  and  symmetrical,  his  eyes  of  a  light  blue  color,  and 
his  whole  countenance,  in  its  quiet  state,  was  grave,  placid,  and  benig 
nant.  When  alone,  or  not  engaged  in  conversation,  he  appeared 
sedate  and  thoughtful ;  but,  when  his  attention  was  excited,  his  eye 
kindled  quickly  and  his  face  beamed  with  animation  and  intelligence. 
He  was  not  fluent  in  speech,  but  what  he  said  was  apposite,  and 
listened  to  with  the  more  interest  as  being  known  to  come  from  the 
heart.  He  seldom  attempted  sallies  of  wit  or  humor,  but  no  man 
received  more  pleasure  from  an  exhibition  of  them  by  others;  and, 
although  contented  in  seclusion,  he  sought  his  chief  happiness  in 
society,  and  participated  with  delight  in  all  its  rational  and  innocent 
amusements.  Without  austerity  on  the  one  hand,  or  an  appearance 
of  condescending  familiarity  on  the  other,  he  was  affable,  courteous, 
and  cheerful ;  but  it  has  often  been  remarked,  that  there  was  a  dignity 
in  his  person  and  manner,  not  easy  to  be  defined,  which  impressed 
every  one  that  saw  him  for  the  first  time  with  an  instinctive  deference 
and  awe.  This  may  have  arisen  in  part  from  a  conviction  of  his  superi 
ority,  as  well  as  from  the  effect  produced  by  his  external  form  and  de- 
deportment. 

26  (201) 


202  JARED  SPARKS. 


The  character  of  his  mind  was  unfolded  in  the  public  and  private 
acts  of  his  life;  and  the  proofs  of  his  greatness  are  seen  almost  as 
much  in  the  one  as  the  other.  The  same  qualities,  which  raised  him 
to  the  ascendency  he  possessed  over  the  will  of  a  nation  as  the  com 
mander  of  armies  and  chief  magistrate,  caused  him  to  be  loved  and 
respected  as  an  individual.  Wisdom,  judgment,  prudence,  and  firm 
ness  were  his  predominant  traits.  No  man  ever  saw  more  clearly  the 
relative  importance  of  things  and  actions,  or  divested  himself  more 
entirely  of  the  bias  of  personal  interest,  partiality,  and  prejudice,  in 
discriminating  between  the  true  and  the  false,  the  right  and  the  wrong, 
in  all  questions  and  subjects  that  were  presented  to  him.  He  delib 
erated  slowly,  but  decided  surely;  and,  when  his  decision  was  once 
formed,  he  seldom  reversed  it,  and  never  relaxed  from  the  execution 
of  a  measure  till  it  was  completed.  Courage,  physical  and  moral,  was 
a  part  of  his  nature;  and,  whether  in  battle  or  in  the  midst  of  popular 
excitement,  he  was  fearless  of  danger  and  regardless  of  consequences 
to  himself. 

His  ambition  was  of  that  noble  kind,  which  aims  to  excel  in 
whatever  it  undertakes,  and  to  acquire  a  power  over  the  hearts  of 
men  by  promoting  their  happiness  and  winning  their  affections.  Sen 
sitive  to  the  approbation  of  others  and  solicitous  to  deserve  it,  he  made 
no  concessions  to  gain  their  applause,  either  by  flattering  their  vanity 
or  yielding  to  their  caprices.  Cautious  without  timidity,  bold  without 
rashness,  cool  in  counsel,  deliberate  but  firm  in  action,  clear  in  fore 
sight,  patient  under  reverses,  steady,  persevering,  and  self-possessed, 
he  met  and  conquered  every  obstacle  that  obstructed  his  path  to  honbr, 
renown,  and  success.  More  confident  in  the  uprightness  of  his  inten- 


JARED  SPARKS.  203 


tions,  than  in  his  resources,  he  sought  knowledge  and  advice  from 
other  men.  He  chose  his  counsellors  with  unerring  sagacity;  and  his 
quick  perception  of  the  soundness  of  an  opinion,  and  of  the  strong 
points  in  an  argument,  enabled  him  to  draw  to  his  aid  the  best  fruits 
of  their  talents,  and  the  light  of  their  collected  wisdom. 

His  moral  qualities  were  in  perfect  harmony  with  those  of  his 
intellect.  Duty  was  the  ruling  principle  of  his  conduct;  and  the  rare 
endowments  of  his  understanding  were  not  more  constantly  tasked  to 
devise  the  best  methods  of  effecting  an  object,  than  they  were  to  guard 
the  sanctity  of  conscience.  No  instance  can  be  adduced,  in  which  he 
was  actuated  by  a  sinister  motive,  or  endeavored  to  attain  an  end  by 
unworthy  means.  Truth,  integrity,  and  justice  were  deeply  rooted  in 
his  mind;  and  nothing  could  rouse  his  indignation  so  soon,  or  so 
utterly  destroy  his  confidence,  as  the  discovery  of  the  want  of  these 
virtues  in  any  one  whom  he  had  trusted.  Weaknesses,  follies,  indis 
cretions,  he  could  forgive;  but  subterfuge  and  dishonesty  he  never 
forgot,  rarely  pardoned.  He  was  candid  and  sincere,  true  to  his 
friends,  and  faithful  to  all,  neither  practising  dissimulation,  descending 
to  artifice,  nor  holding  out  expectations  which  he  did  not  intend  should 
be  realized.  His  passions  were  strong,  and  sometimes  they  broke  out 
with  vehemence,  but  he  had  the  power  of  checking  them  in  an  instant: 
Perhaps  self-control  was  the  most  remarkable  trait  of  his  character. 
It  was  in  part  the  effect  of  discipline;  yet  he  seems  by  nature  to  have 
possessed  this  power  to  a  degree,  which  has  been  denied  to  other  men. 

A  Christian  in  faith  and  practice,  he  was  habitually  devout.  His 
reverence  for  religion  is  seen  in  his  example,  his  public  communica 
tions,  and  his  private  writings.  He  uniformly  ascribed  his  successes 


204  JARED  SPARKS. 


to  the  beneficent  agency  of  the  Supreme  Being.  Charitable  and 
humane,  he  was  liberal  to  the  poor,  and  kind  to  those  in  distress.  As 
a  husband,  son,  and  brother,  he  was  tender  and  affectionate.  Without 
vanity,  ostentation,  or  pride,  he  never  spoke  of  himself  or  his  actions, 
unless  required  by  circumstances  which  concerned  the  public  interests. 
As  he  was  free  from  envy,  so  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape  the 
envy  of  others,  by  standing  on  an  elevation  which  none  could  hope  to 
attain.  If  he  had  one  passion  more  strong  than  another,  it  was  love 
of  his  country.  The  purity  and  ardor  of  his  patriotism  were  commen 
surate  with  the  greatness  of  its  object.  Love  of  country  in  him  was 
invested  with  the  sacred  obligation  of  a  duty;  and  from  the  faithful 
discharge  of  this  duty  he  never  swerved  for  a  moment,  either  in  thought 
or  deed,  through  the  whole  period  of  his  eventful  career. 

Such  are  some  of  the  traits  in  the  character  of  Washington,  which 
have  acquired  for  him  the  love  and  veneration  of  mankind.  If  they 
are  not  marked  with  the  brilliancy,  extravagance,  and  eccentricity, 
which  in  other  men  have  excited  the  astonishment  of  the  world,  so 
neither  are  they  tarnished  by  the  follies  nor  disgraced  by  the  crimes 
of  those  men.  It  is  the  happy  combination  of  rare  talents  and  quali 
ties,  the  harmonious  union  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  powers,  rather 
than  the  dazzling  splendor  of  any  one  trait,  which  constitute  the 
grandeur  of  his  character.  If  the  title  of  great  man  ought  to  be  re 
served  for  him,  who  cannot  be  charged  with  an  indiscretion  or  a  vice, 
who  spent  his  life  in  establishing  the  independence,  the  glory,  and 
durable  prosperity  of  his  country,  who  succeeded  in  all  that  he  under 
took,  and  whose  successes  were  never  won  at  the  expense  of  honor 


JARED  SPARKS.  205 


justice,  integrity,  or  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  single  principle,  this  title  will 
not  be  denied  to  Washington.* 


JARED  SPARKS  was  born  at  Willington,  Conn.,  May  10,  1789,  and  died  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  March  4,  1866.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1815,  studied  theology  at 
Cambridge,  and  also  became  one  of  the  conductors  of  the  North  American  Review,  of  which 
he  was  sole  proprietor  and  editor  in  1823-30.  He  was  chaplain  of  the  House  of  Represen 
tatives  in  1821;  McLean  professor  of  history  at  Harvard  in  1839-49,  and  president  in  1849- 
52,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health.  Mr.  Sparks  published  a  number  of  extremely 
important  historical  and  biographical  works,  "which  show  thorough  research,  candid  judg 
ment,  dispassionate  criticism,  and  accuracy  and  simplicity  of  style."  The  "  Writings  of 
George  Washington  with  a  life  of  the  author,"  12  vols.,  8vo,  Boston,  1834-7,  cost  him  nine 
years  of  labor,  including  researches  in  1828  in  the  archives  of  London  and  Paris,  then  opened 
for  the  first  time  for  historical  purposes.  Vol.  I,  which  contains  the  Life  of  Washington,  and 
from  which  we  quote,  was  published  (with  Vol.  XII)  in  1837,  and  was  issued  for  separate  sale 
in  1839,  '53,  '54  and  1855.  An  abridgment  by  the  author  was  published  in  1843 — 2  vols., 
I2mo. 

*  Compare  Mallet  du  Pan,  page  129. — ED. 


LORD  BROUGHAM. 

1838. 
•  \ 

How  grateful  the  relief  which  the  friend  of  mankind,  the  lover  of 
virtue,  experiences  when,  turning  from  the  contemplation  of  such  a 
character,  (Napoleon,)  his  eye  rests  upon  the  greatest  man  of  our  own 
or  of  any  age;  the  only  one  upon  whom  an  epithet  so  thoughtlessly 
lavished  by  men,  to  foster  the  crimes  of  their  worst  enemies,  may  be 
innocently  and  justly  bestowed!  In  Washington  we  truly  behold  a 
marvellous  contrast  to  almost  every  one  of  the  endowments  and  the 
vices  which  we  have  been  contemplating;  and  which  are  so  well  fitted 
to  excite  a  mingled  admiration,  and  sorrow,  and  abhorrence.  With 
none  of  that  brilliant  genius  which  dazzles  ordinary  minds ;  with  not 
even  any  remarkable  quickness  of  apprehension;  with  knowledge  less 
than  almost  all  persons  in  the  middle  ranks,  and  many  well  educated 
of  the  humbler  classes  possess;  this  eminent  person  is  presented  to 
our  observation  clothed  in  attributes  as  modest,  as  unpretending,  as 
little  calculated  to  strike  or  astonish,  as  if  he  had  passed  unknown 
through  some  secluded  region  of  private  life.  But  he  had  a  judgment 
sure  and  sound;  a  steadiness  of  mind  which  never  "suffered  any  pas 
sion,  or  even  any  feeling  to  ruffle  its  calm ;  a  strength  of  understanding 
which  worked  rather  than  forced  its  way  through  all  obstacles, — 
removing  or  avoiding  rather  than  overleaping  them.  If  profound 
sagacity,  unshaken  steadiness  of  purpose,  the  entire  subjugation  of  all 
the  passions  which  carry  havoc  through  ordinary  minds,  and  often 
times  lay  waste  the  fairest  prospects  of  greatness, — nay,  the  discipline 
(206) 


LORD  BROUGHAM.  207 


of  those  feelings  which  are  wont  to  lull  or  to  seduce  genius,  and  to  mar 
and  to  cloud  over  the  aspect  of  virtue  herself, — joined  with,  or  rather 
leading  to  the  most  absolute  self-denial,  the  most  habitual  and  exclu 
sive  devotion  to  principle, — if  these  things  can  constitute  a  great 
character,  without  either  quickness  of  apprehension,  or  resources  of 
information,  or  inventive  powers,  or  any  brilliant  quality  that  might 
dazzle  the  vulgar, — then  surely  Washington  was  the  greatest  man 
that  ever  lived  in  this  world  uninspired  by  Divine  wisdom,  and  unsus- 
tained  by  supernatural  virtue. 

Nor  could  the  human  fancy  create  a  combination  of  qualities, 
even  to  the  very  wants  and  defects  of  the  subject,  more  perfectly  fitted 
for  the  scenes  in  which  it  was  his  lot  to  bear  the  chief  part ;  whether 
we  regard  the  war  which  he  conducted,  the  political  constitution  over 
which  he  afterwards  presided,  or  the  tempestuous  times  through 
which  he  had  finally  to  guide  the  bark  himself  had  launched.  Averse 
as  his  pure  mind  and  temperate  disposition  naturally  was  from  the 
atrocities  of  the  French  Revolution,  lie  yet  never  leant  against  the 
cause  of  liberty,  but  clung  to  it  even  when  degraded  by  the  excesses 
of  its  savage  votaries.  Towards  France,  while  he  reprobated  her 
aggressions  upon  other  states,  and  bravely  resisted  her  pretensions  to 
control  his  own,  he  yet  never  ceased  to  feel  the  gratitude  which  her 
aid  to  the  American  cause  had  planted  eternally  in  every  American 
bosom ;  and  for  the  freedom  of  a  nation  which  had  followed  the  noble 
example  of  his  countrymen  in  breaking  the  chains  of  a  thousand 
years,  he  united  with  those  countrymen  in  cherishing  a  natural  sym 
pathy  and  regard.  Towards  England,  whom  he  had  only  known  as  a 
tyrant,  he  never,  even,  in  the  worst  times  of  French  turbulence  at 


2o8  LORD  BROUGHAM. 


home,  and  injury  to  foreign  states,  could  unbend  from  the  attitude  of 
distrust  and  defiance  into  which  the  conduct  of  her  sovereign  and  his 
Parliament,  not  unsupported  by  her  people,  had  forced  him,  and  in 
which  the  war  had  left  him.  Nor  was  there  ever  among  all  the  com 
placent  self-delusions  with  which  the  fond  conceits  of  national  vanity 
are  apt  to  intoxicate  us,  one  more  utterly  fantastical  than  the  notion 
wherewith  the  politicians  of  the  Pitt  school  were  wont  to  flatter  them 
selves  and  beguile  their  followers, — that  simply  because  the  Great 
American  would  not  yield  either  to  the  bravadoes  of  the  Republican 
envoy,  or  the  fierce  democracy  of  Jefferson,  he  therefore  had  become 
weary  of  republics,  and  a  friend  to  monarchy  and  to  England.  In 
truth  his  devotion  to  liberty,  and  his  intimate  persuasion  that  it  can  only 
be  enjoyed  under  the  republican  scheme,  constantly  gained  strength  to 
the  end  of  his  glorious  life;  and  his  steady  resolution  to  hold  the 
balance  even  between  contending  extremes  at  home,  as  well  as  to 
expel  any  advance  from  abroad  incompatible  with  perfect  indepen 
dence,  was  not  more  dictated  by  the  natural  justice  of  his  disposition, 
and  the  habitual  sobriety  of  his  views,  than  it  sprang  from  a  profound 
conviction  that  a  commonwealth  is  most  effectually  served  by  the 
commanding  prudence  which  checks  all  excesses,  and  guarantees  it 
against  the  peril  that  chiefly  besets  popular  governments. 

His  courage,  whether  in  battle  or  in  council,  was  as  perfect  as 
might  be  expected  from  this  pure  and  steady  temper  of  soul.  A 
perfect  just  man,  with  a  thoroughly  firm  resolution  never  to  be  misled 
by  others,  any  more  than  to  be  by  others  overawed;  never  to  be 
seduced  or  betrayed,  or  hurried  away  by  his  own  weaknesses  or  self- 
delusions,  any  more  than  by  other  men's  arts;  nor  ever  to  be  dis- 


LORD  BROUGHAM.  209 


heartened  by  the  most  complicated  difficulties,  any  more  than  to  be 
spoilt  on  the  giddy  heights  of  fortune — such  was  this  great  man — 
great,  pre-eminently  great,  whether  we  regard  him  sustaining  alone 
the  whole  weight  of  campaigns  all  but  desperate,  or  gloriously  termin 
ating  a  just  warfare  by  his  resources  and  his  courage — presiding  over 
the  jarring  elements  of  his  political  council,  alike  deaf  to  the  storms  of 
all  extremes* — or  directing  the  formation  of  a  new  government  for  a 
great  people,  the  first  time  that  so  vast  an  experiment  had  ever  been 
tried  by  man — or  finally  retiring  from  the  supreme  power  to  which  his 
virtue  had  raised  him  over  the  nation  he  had  created,  and  whose  des 
tinies  he  had  guided  as  long  as  his  aid  was  required — retiring  with  the 
veneration  of  all  parties,  of  all  nations,  of  all  mankind,  in  order  that 
the  rights  of  men  might  be  conserved,  and  that  his  example  never 
might  be  appealed  to  by  vulgar  tyrants.  This  is  the  consummate  glory 
of  Washington;  a  triumphant  warrior  where  the  most  sanguine  had  a, 
right  to  despair;  a  successful  ruler  in  all  the  difficulties  of  a  course 
wholly  untried ;  but  a  warrior,  whose  sword  only  left  its  sheath  when  * 
the  first  law  of  our  nature  commanded  it  to  be  drawn ;  and  a  ruler  who, 
having  tasted  of  supreme  power,  gently  and  unostentatiously  desired 
that  the  cup  might  pass  from  him,  nor  would  suffer  more  to  wet  his 

*  "  The  success  of  America  was  owing,  next  to  the  errors  of  her  adversaries,  to  the  con 
duct  and  character  of  General  Washington.  In  him -were  united  the  purity  of  the  most  dis 
interested  patriotism  with  all  the  energy  of  the  most  stirring  ambition;  the  utmost  reluctance 
to  engage  in  the  contest,  with  the  firmest  will  never  to  abandon  it  when  begun ;  the  most 
intrepid  devotion  of  his  life  and  his  fame  in  hazardous  attacks,  with  the  calmest  judgment  in 
all  matters  political  and  military.  The  dissensions  of  Congress,  the  envy  of  rivals,  the  apathy 
of  his  troops,  the  calumnies  of  his  enemies,  neither  excited  him  to  rashness,  nor  stopped  him 
in  his  career." — LORD  JOHN  RUSSEL:  Memorials  and  Correspondence  of  Charles  James  Fox, 
Vol.  I,  1853.— ED. 
27 


210  LORD  BROUGHAM. 


lips  than  the  most  solemn  and  sacred  duty  to  his  Country  and  his  God 
required  ! 

To  his  latest  breath  did  this  great  patriot  maintain  the  noble 
character  of  a  Captain  the  patron  of  Peace,  and  a  Statesman  the  friend 
of  Justice.  Dying  he  bequeathed  to  his  heirs  the  sword  which  he  had 
worn  in  the  War  of  Liberty,  and  charged  them  "  Never  to  take  it  from 
the  scabbard  but  in  self-defence,  or  in  defence  of  their  country  and  her 
freedom;  and  commanding  them,  that  when  it  should  thus  be  drawn, 
they  should  never  sheath  it  nor  ever  give  it  up,  but  prefer  falling  with 
it  in  their  hands  to  the  relinquishment  thereof" — words,  the  majesty 
and  simple  eloquence  of  which  are  not  surpassed  in  the  oratory  of 
Athens  and  Rome. 

It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  Historian  and  the  Sage  in  all  ages  to  let 

no  occasion  pass  of  commemorating  this  illustrious  man;  and  until 

.time  shall  be  no  more  will  a  test  of  the  progress  which  our  race  has 

made  in  wisdom  and  in  virtue  be  derived  from  the  veneration  paid  to 

the  immortal  name  of  Washington  ! 


HENRY,  LORD  BROUGHAM,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  September  19,  1778,  and  died  at 
Cannes,  France,  May  7,  1868.  He  studied  law  at  Edinburgh,  and  in  company  with  Jeffrey, 
Homer,  and  Sydney  Smith,  helped  to  start  the  Edinburgh  Review,  to  which  he  contributed 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  called  to  the  English  bar  in  1808,  entered  parliament  in 
1810,  was  raised  to  the  peerage  in  1830,  and  was  Lord  High  Chancellor  for  four  years,  1830 
-34.  Conspicuous  in  public  affairs  during  the  greater  portion  of  his  life,  the  vigor  of  his  intel 
lect,  his  energy,  his  eloquence,  and  his  attachment  to  and  services  in  the  cause  of  freedom, 
progress  and  humanity,  have  caused  him  to  be  classed  as  one  of  the  most  illustrious  and  ex 
traordinary  men  of  his  age  and  country.  Of  his  numerous  writings,  the  "  Sketches  of  the 
Statesmen  of  the  time  of  George  III,"  3  vols.,  8vo,  London,  1839,  are  considered  the  best. 
Our  quotation  is  the  conclusion  of  the  sketch  entitled,  Napoleon- Washington,  in  Vol.  II, 
portions  of  which,  originally  appeared  in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  October,  1838. 


COUNT  DUMAS. 

1839. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON,  accompanied  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fay- 
ette,  repaired  in  person  to  the  French  headquarters.  We  had  been  im 
patient  to  see  the  hero  of  liberty.  His  dignified  address,  his  simplicity 
of  manners,  and  mild  gravity,  surpassed  our  expectation,  and  won  every 
heart.  After  having  conferred  with  Count  Rochambeau,  as  he  was 
leaving  us  to  return  to  his  headquarters  near  West  Point,  I  received 
the  welcome  order  to  accompany  him  as  far  as  Providence.  We  arrived 
thereat  night;  the  whole  of  the  population  had  assembled  from  the 
suburbs,  we  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  children  carrying  torches, 
reiterating  the  acclamations  of  the  citizens;  all  were  eager  to  approach 
the  person  of  him  whom  they  called  their  father,  and  pressed  so  closely 
around  us  that  they  hindered  us  from  proceeding.  General  Washington 
was  much  affected,  stopped  a  few  moments,  and  pressing  my  hand, 
said,  "We  may  be  beaten  by  the  English;  it  is  the  chance  of  war;  but 
behold  an  army  which  they  can  never  conquer."  *  *  *  * 

As  soon  as  General  Washington  was  informed  of  the  expedition 
of  Arnold,  and  of  the  danger  which  threatened  Virginia,  he  proposed 
to  Count  de  Rochambeau  to  carry  immediate  succors  thither,  and  to 
attack  the  traitor  in  the  post  where  he  had  entrenched  himself.  It  was 
on  occasion  of  the  discussions  which  the  two  commanders-in-chief  had 
on  this  subject  that  I  was  despatched  by  General  Rochambeau  to  Gen- 

(211) 


212  COUNT  DUMAS. 


eral  Washington,  whose  head-quarters  were  then  at  New  Windsor,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  three  leagues  above  West  Point.  He 
had  with  him  only  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  and  their  respective  aids- 
de-camp.  His  army  was  in  barracks  or  cantonments  five  or  six  leagues 
further  off,  on  the  road  to  Philadelphia.  The  garrison  of  West  Point 
consisted  of  2000  continental  troops. 

I  here  interrupt  the  succinct  narrative  of  the  most  remarkable 
events  of  the  winter  of  1781,  to  recall  the  impressions  which  I  received 
during  the  short  stay  that  I  made  in  the  family  of  the  deliverer  of 
America.  The  brilliant  actions  of  great  men  cannot  fail  to  be  recalled 
by  history;  the  anecdotes  of  their  private  life  are  equally  worthy  of 
being  preserved  because  they  often  make  us  better  acquainted  with  the 
principal  traits  of  their  character.  The  General  gave  me  a  most  cordial 
reception.  He  appeared  to  be  highly  satisfied  with  the  despatches 
which  I  delivered  to  him,  in  the  presence  of  M.  de  la  Fayette,  Colonel 
Hamilton,  his  aid-de-camp,  and  Colonel  Humphries,  who  performed 
the  duties  of  chief  of  the  staff.  He  withdrew  to  confer  with  them. 
Being  invited  to  dinner,  which  was  remarkably  plain,  I  had  leisure  to 
admire  the  perfect  harmony  of  his  noble  and  fine  countenance,  with 
the  simplicity  of  his  language  and  the  justice  and  depth  of  his  obser 
vations.  He  generally  sat  long  at  table,  and  animated  the  conversa 
tion  by  unaffected  cheerfulness.  Much  was  said  of  the  treachery  of 
Arnold,  of  the  firmness  and  moderation  with  which  the  General  had 
just  suppressed  the  insubordination  of  the  troops  of  the  State  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  lastly  of  the  situation  of  Virginia,  of  the  marches  and 
counter-marches  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  marks  of  affection  which  the  General  showed  to  his  pupil,  his 


COUNT  DUMAS.  213 


adopted  son,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette.  Seated  opposite  to  him,  he 
looked  at  him  with  pleasure,  and  listened  to  him  with  manifest  interest. 
One  of  the  company,  (if  I  remember  rightly,  it  was,  I  think,  Colonel 
Hamilton,  who  was  afterwards  so  unfortunately  and  so  prematurely 
snatched  from  the  hopes  of  his  country,)  related  the  manner  in  which 
the  General  had  received  a  despatch  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  addressed 
to  Mr.  Washington.  Taking  it  from  the  hands  of  the  flag  of  truce, 
and  seeing  the  direction,  "This  letter,"  said  he,  "  is  directed  to  a  planter 
of  the  State  of  Virginia.  I  shall  have  it  delivered  to  him,  after  the 
end  of  the  war;  till  that  time  it  shall  not  be  opened."  A  second 
despatch  was  addressed  to  his  Excellency  General  Washington. 

On  the  following  day  General  Washington  was  to  go  to  West 
Point,  and  allowed  me  to  accompany  him.  Count  de  Charlus,  who 
had  just  arrived  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  General,  and  to  spend  some 
days  with  his  friend  M.  de  la  Fayette,  was  likewise  of  the  party.  By 
rather  difficult  paths,  we  passed  the  mountain,  at  the  other  side  of 
which  is  the  plateau,  surrounded  by  steep  eminences,  where  block 
houses  had  been  built  and  strong  batteries  had  been  erected,  to  bar 
the  course  of  the  river  by  the  aid  of  the  bend,  caused  by  the  projec 
tion  of  the  promontory.  After  having  visited  the  forts  and  reviewed 
the  garrison,  as  the  day  was  declining,  and  we  were  going  to  mount 
our  horses,  the  General  perceived  that  M.  de  la  Fayette,  in  conse 
quence  of  his  old  wound,  was  very  much  fatigued.  "  It  will  be  better," 
said  he,  "to  return  by  water;  the  tide  will  assist  us  in  ascending 
against  the  stream."  A  boat  was  soon  manned  with  good  rowers, 
and  we  embarked.  The  cold  became  excessive ;  we  had  to  make  our 
way  between  the  large  flakes  of  ice  which  the  river  brought  down.  A 


2i4  COUNT  DUMAS. 


heavy  snow  and  the  obscurity  of  the  night  soon  rendered  the  danger 
more  imminent,  and  the  management  of  the  boat,  which  filled  with 
water,  became  increasingly  difficult.  We  coasted  the  rocks  which 
lined  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  between  West  Point  and  New 
Windsor,  at  the  foot  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  land.  General  Wash 
ington,  perceiving  that  the  master  of  the  boat  was  very  much  alarmed, 
took  the  helm,  saying,  "courage,  my  friends;  I  am  going  to  conduct 
you,  since  it  is  my  duty  to  hold  the  helm."  After  having  with  much 
difficulty  made  our  way  against  the  stream  and  the  ice,  we  landed, 
and  had  to  walk  a  league  before  we  reached  the  head-quarters. 


MATHIEU,  COUNT  DUMAS,  was  born  at  Montpelier,  France,  November  23,  1753,  and 
died  at  Paris,  October  16,  1837.  He  entered  the  army  in  1773,  and  served  as  aid-de-camp 
to  Rochambeau,  in  America,  1780,  '81.  His  "Memoirs,"  written  in  1836,  were  translated 
and  published  at  London,  in  1839,  and  reprinted  at  Philadelphia,  the  same  year,  2  vols.,  I2mo. 
from  Vol.  I.  of  which,  our  extracts  are  made.  The  first  paragraph  as  quoted,  evidently  refers 
to  Washington's  visit  of  March  6,  1781,  to  Rochambeau,  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  but  errs  in  stating 
that  he  was  accompanied  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  that  officer  being  in  Virginia  at  the 
time,  having  left  headquarters  on  February  2Oth.  The  remainder  of  the  quotation  points  to 
a  period  somewhere  between  January  ist,  1781,  the  date  of  the  mutiny  of  the  Pennsylvania 
troops,  and  Feb.  2Oth ;  the  error  and  chronological  discrepancy,  may  be  accounted,  for,  by  the 
lapse  of  time  between  the  occurrences  and  the  writing  of  the  "Memoirs," — fifty-five  years. 
The  visit  to  Newport  is  also  recorded  by  CLAUDE  BLANCHARD,  Commissary  of  the  French 
army,  in  his  Journal  (entry  of  March  5,  (?)  1781),  as  follows,  "This  day  General  Washing 
ton,  who  was  expected,  arrived  about  two  o'clock.  He  first  went  to  the  Due  de  Bourgogne 
(the  flag-ship),  where  all  the  generals  were.  He  then  landed;  all  the  troops  were  under 
arms;  I  was  presented  to  him.  His  face  is  handsome,  noble  and  mild.  He  is  tall  (at  least, 
five  feet,  eight  inches).  In  the  evening,  I  was  at  supper  with  him.  I  mark,  as  a  fortunate 
day,  that  in  which  I  have  been  able  to  behold  a  man  so  truly  great."  COUNT  DE  FERSEN,  one 
of  the  aids-de-camp  to  Rochambeau,  and  who  came  to  America  with  the  Count  Dumas  in  the 
same  vessel,  Le  Jason,  attended  the  French  Commander  on  his  first  interview  with  Washing 
ton  at  Hartford,  Conn.  Sept.  22,  1780;  referring  to  it  in  a  letter  to  his  father,  dated  Newport, 


COUNT  DUMAS.  215 


i6th  Octo.  1780,  {Magazine  of  American  History,  May  1879),  he  says,  "  I  was  about  fifteen 
days  ago  at  Hartford,  forty  leagues  distant  from  here,  with  M.  de  Rochambeau.  We  were 
only  six,  the  Admiral,  his  chief  of  Engineers,  his  son,  the  Vicomte  de  Rochambeau,  and  two 
aids-de-camp,  of  whom  I  was  one.  He  had  an  interview  there  with  General  Washington. 
M.  de  Rochambeau  sent  me  in  advance  to  announce  his  arrival,  and  I  had  time  to  see  this 
man,  illustrious,  if  not  unique  in  our  century.  His  handsome  and  majestic,  while  at  the 
same  time  mild  and  open  countenance  perfectly  reflects  his  moral  qualities;  he  looks  the 
hero;  he  is  very  cold;  speaks  little,  but  is  courteous  and  frank.  A  shade  of  sadness  over 
shadows  his  countenance,  which  is  not  unbecoming,  and  gives  him  an  interesting  air." 


JOHN    QUINCY   ADAMS. 

1839. 

THE  first  element  of  its  longevity  (the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States),  was  undoubtedly  to  be  found  in  itself — but  we  may,  without 
superstition  or  fanaticism,  believe  that  a  superintending  Providence 
had  adapted  to  the  character  and  principles  of  this  institution,  those 
of  the  man  by  whom  it  was  to  be  first  administered.  To  fill  a  throne 
was  neither  his  ambition  nor  his  vocation.  He  had  no  descendants 
to  whom  a  throne  could  have  been  transmitted,  had  it  existed.  He 
was  placed  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  his  country,  at  the  head  of 
that  government  which  they  had  substituted  for  a  throne,  and  his  eye 
looking  to  futurity,  was  intent  upon  securing  to  after  ages,  not  a  throne 
for  a  seat  to  his  own  descendants,  but  an  immovable  seat  upon  which 
the  descendants  of  his  country  might  sit  in  peace,  and  freedom,  and 
happiness,  if  so  it  please  Heaven,  to  the  end  of  time. 

That  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  task  he  looked  forward  with 
a  searching  eye,  and  even  an  over-anxious  heart,  will  not  be  surprising 
to  any  who  understands  his  character,  or  is  capable  of  comprehending 
the  magnitude  and  difficulty  of  the  ask  itself. 

There  are  incidental  to  the  character  of  man  two  qualities,  both 
developed  by  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-creatures,  and  both  be 
longing  to  the  immortal  part  of  his  nature ;  of  elements  apparently  so 
opposed  and  inconsistent  with  each  other,  as  to  be  irreconcilable  to- 
(216) 


JOHN  Q  U1NCY  ADAMS.  2 1 7 


gether;  but  yet  indispensable  in  their  union  to  constitute  the  highest 
excellence  of  the  human  character.  They  are  the  spirit  of  command, 
and  the  spirit  of  meekness.  They  have  been  exemplified  in  the  purity 
of  ideal  perfection,  once  only  in  the  history  of  mankind,  and  that  was 
in  the  mortal  life  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  It  would  seem  to  have 
been  exhibited  on  earth  by  his  supernatural  character,  as  a  model  to 
teach  mortal  man  to  what  sublime  elevation  his  nature  is  capable  of 
ascending.  They  had  been  displayed,  though  not  in  the  same  per 
fection  by  the  preceding  legislator  of  the  children  of  Israel; — 

"  That  Shepherd,  who  first  taught  the  chosen  seed 
In  the  beginning,  how  the  heavens  and  earth 
Rose  out  of  Chaos;" 

but  so  little  were  they  known,  or  conceived  of  in  the  antiquity  of  pro 
fane  history,  that  in  the  poems  of  Homer,  that  unrivalled  delineator 
of  human  character  in  the  heroic  ages,  there  is  no  attempt  to  intro 
duce  them  in  the  person  of  any  one  of  his  performers,  human  or  divine. 
In  the  poem  of  his  Roman  imitator  and  rival,  a  feeble  exemplification 
of  them  is  shadowed  forth  in  the  inconsistent  composition  of  the  pious 
^Eneas;  but  history,  ancient  or  modern,  had  never  exhibited  in  the 
real  life  of  man,  an  example  in  which  those  two  properties  were  so 
happily  blended  together,  as  they  were  in  the  person  of  George  Wash 
ington.  These  properties  belong  rather  to  the  moral  than  to  the 
intellectual  nature  of  man.  They  are  not  unfrequently  found  in  minds 
little  cultivated  by  science,  but  they  require  for  the  exercise  of  that 
mutual  control  which  guards  them  from  degenerating  into  arrogance 
or  weakness,  the  guidance  of  a  sound  judgment,  and  the  regulation 
of  a  profound  sense  of  responsibility  to  a  higher  Power.  It  was  this 
28 


2 1 8  JOHN  Q  UINCY  ADAMS. 

adaptation  of  the  character  of  Washington  to  that  of  the  institution 
over  the  composition  of  which  he  had  presided,  as  he  was  now  called 
to  preside  over  its  administration,  which  constituted  one  of  the  most 
favorable  omens  of  its  eventual  stability  and  success. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,  Sixth  President  of  the  United  States,  (1825-9)  and  son  of  Presi 
dent  John  Adams,  was  born  at  Braintree,  now  Quincy,  Mass.,  July  nth,  1767,  and  died  in 
the  Capitol,  Washington,  D.  C.,  February  23d,  1848.  Our  extract  is  from  "The  Jubilee  of 
the  Constitution,  a  Discourse  delivered  at  the  request  of  The  New  York  Historical  Society, 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  Tuesday,  the  3Oth  of  April,  1839;  being  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
of  the  inauguration  of  George  Washington  as  President  of  the  United  States,  on  Thursday, 
the  3Oth  of  April,  1789.  By  John  Quincy  Adams."  8vo,  pp.  120.  New  York:  1839. 
On  a  subsequent  occasion,  the  presentation  of  the  sword  carried  by  Washington  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  by  Samuel  T.  Washington,  a  grand- 
nephew — House  of  Representatives,  Feb.  7,  1843 — Mr.  Adams  said:  "  Washington,  the 
warrior  and  the  legislator !  In  War,  contending  by  the  wager  of  battle  for  the  independence 
of  his  country,  and  for  the  freedom  of  the  human  race ;  ever  manifesting,  amidst  its  horrors, 
by  precept  and  example,  his  reverence  for  the  laws  of  Peace,  and  for  the  tenderest  sympathies 
of  humanity :  in  Peace,  soothing  the  ferocious  spirit  of  discord,  among  his  own  countrymen, 
into  harmony  and  union,  and  giving  to  that  very  sword  now  presented  to  his  country  a  charm 
more  potent  than  that  attributed  in  ancient  times  to  the  lyre  of  Orpheus." 


GEORGE  COMBE. 

1839. 

I  VISITED  the  studio  of  Mr.  Rembrandt  Peale.  He  is  the  son  of 
the  earliest  portrait  painter  that  America  can  boast  of,  and  his  father 
seems  to  have  been  an  enthusiast  in  the  art  (as  this  gentleman  is  him 
self),  for  he  named  two  of  his  sons  Rembrandt  and  Titian,  and 
educated  both  as  painters.  Mr.  Rembrandt  Peale  was  personally 
acquainted  with  General  Washington,  and  painted  a  large  equestrian 
portrait  of  him,  which  he  preserves  in  his  studio.  The  charger  is 
white :  The  picture  appeared  to  me  to  possess  much  merit  as  a  work 
of  art;  and  the  likeness  has  been  pronounced  to  be  faithful.  Wash 
ington's  head,  as  here  delineated,  is  obviously  large;  and  the  anterior 
lobe  of  the  brain  is  large  in  all  directions;  the  organ  of  Benevolence 
is  seen  to  rise,  but  the  moral  organs  disappear  under  the  hair.  The 
temperament  is  bilious-sanguine;  the  action  of  the  muscles  of  the 
mouth  strongly  express  Sensitiveness  and  Firmness,  and  the  eyes 
bespeak  these  qualities  combined  with  Cautiousness.  The  general 
expression  of  the  countenance  is  that  of  sagacity,  prudence,  and 
determination. 

It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  there  is  no  cast  of  the  head  of 
Washington  taken  from  nature.  I  have  examined  the  common  busts 
and  portraits  of  him,  but  they  show  only  that  the  head  was  large,  and 
that  its  general  proportions  were  harmonious.  I  have  heard  the  ques- 

(219) 


220  GEORGE  COMBE. 


tion  discussed  both  in  England  and  the  United  States,  whether  Wash 
ington  was  really  a  great  man;  seeing  that  he  did  not,  in  any  particular 
direction,  show  any  extraordinary  power.  Judging  from  his  conduct 
and  his  writings,  as  well  as  from  what  we  know  of  his  head,  I  infer  that 
he  was  one  of  those  rare  specimens  of  humanity  in  whom  nearly  all 
the  mental  organs  are  largely  developed,  and  in  harmonious  propor 
tions.  Such  a  combination  produces  a  character  distinguished  for 
mental  power  in  all  directions.  His  temperament,  as  already  stated, 
seems  to  have  been  sanguine-bilious,  giving  activity  and  the  capacity  of 
long  endurance.  He  exhibited  a  constancy  which  no  difficulties  could 
shake,  an  honesty  of  purpose  and  ardor  of  patriotism  which  no  temp 
tations  could  overcome  or  opposition  subdue.  He  placed  the  welfare 
of  his  country  on  its  true  basis,  that  of  industry  and  virtue;  and  he 
always  regarded  its  interests  before  his  own.  In  him  there  was  no 
important  quality  of  mind  deficient,  and  no  quality  in  excess ;  there 
were  in  his  understanding  no  false  lights,  and  no  deficient  lights.  He 
gave  to  every  thing  its  due  weight  and  no  more.  He  was  dignified, 
courteous,  and  remarkably  just.  He  was  brave,  yet  cautious  and 
politic;  quick  to  perceive  and  prompt  to  execute;  always  acting  at 
the  right  time,  and  in  the  right  manner.  Those  who  say  that  he  was 
not  a  great  man,  can  merely  mean  that  he  displayed  no  one  quality  in 
excess ;  that  he  showed  no  coruscations  of  isolated  talent,  and  per 
formed  no  individual  acts  calculated  to  dazzle  or  amaze  mankind.  But 
he  accomplished  a  very  great  achievement,  the  independence  of  his 
country,  by  a  succession  of  most  wise  and  efficient  measures,  every 
one  of  which  showed  mental  superiority.  In  short,  he  displayed  in  a 
long  career  both  of  adversity  and  prosperity,  that  sterling  worth  of 


GEORGE  COMBE.  221 


soul,  that  clear  and  sound  judgment,  that  grandeur  of  the  whole  man, 
which  rendered  him  far  more  great  and  estimable  than  those  geniuses 
who  are  endowed  with  splendid  partial  talents  combined  with  great 
defects.  In  my  opinion,  Washington  was  one  of  the  greatest  men 
that  ever  lived. 


GEORGE  COMBE,  phrenologist,  was  born  near  Edinburgh,  October  21,  1788,  and  died  at 
Moor  Park,  Surrey,  England,  August  14,  1858.  He  was  bred  to  the  legal  profession,  but  in 
1816  devoted  himself  to  the  propagation  of  the  science  of  phrenology,  as  a  writer  and  lecturer. 
He  visited  the  United  States  in  1838,  and  delivered  many  lectures  on  the  subject  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  His  journal  kept  during  the  time  was  published  at  Philadelphia  in 
1841,  with  the  title  "Notes  of  the  United  States  of  America  during  a  phrenological  visit 
in  1838-40."  2  vols.,  I2mo.  Our,  extract  is  a  portion  of  the  entry  at  Philadelphia,  for 
January  18,  1839. 


G  U  I  Z  O  T. 

1839. 

WASHINGTON  had  not  those  brilliant  and  extraordinary  qualities 
which  strike  the  imagination  of  men  at  the  first  glance.  He  did  not 
belong  to  the  class  of  men  of  vivid  genius,  who  pant  for  an  opportu 
nity  of  display,  are  impelled  by  great  thoughts  or  great  passions,  and 
diffuse  around  them  the  wealth  of  their  own  natures,  before  any  out 
ward  occasion  or  necessity  calls  for  its  employment.  Free  from  all 
internal  restlessness  and  the  promptings  and  pride  of  ambition,  Wash 
ington  did  not  seek  opportunities  to  distinguish  himself,  and  never 
aspired  to  the  admiration  of  the  world.  This  spirit  so  resolute,  this 
heart  so  lofty,  was  profoundly  calm  and  modest.  Capable  of  rising  to 
a  level  with  the  highest  destiny,  he  might  have  lived  in  ignorance  of 
his  real  power  without  suffering  from  it,  and  have  found,  in  the  culti 
vation  of  his  estates,  a  satisfactory  employment  for  those  energetic 
faculties,  which  were  to  be  proved  equal  to  the  task  of  commanding 

v 

armies  and  founding  a  government. 

But  when  the  opportunity  presented  itself,  when  the  exigence 
occurred,  without  effort  on  his  part,  without  any  surprise  on  the  part 
of  others,  indeed  rather,  as  we  have  just  seen,  in  conformity  with  their 
expectations,  the  prudent  planter  stood  forth  a  great  man.  He  had, 
in  a  remarkable  degree,  those  two  qualities  which,  in  active  life,  make 
men  capable  of  great  things.  He  could  confide  strongly  in  his  own 
(222) 


GUIZOT.  223 

views,  and  act  resolutely  in  conformity  with  them,  without  fearing  to 
assume  the  responsibility.  *  *  *  * 

The  same  strength  of  conviction,  the  same  fidelity  to  his  own 
judgment,  which  he  manifested  in  his  estimate  of  things  generally, 
attended  him  in  his  practical  management  of  business.  Possessing  a 
mind  of  admirable  freedom,  rather  in  virtue  of  the  soundness  of  its 
views  than  of  its  fertility  and  variety,  he  never  received  his  opinions 
at  second  hand,  nor  adopted  them  from  any  prejudice;  but,  on  every 
occasion,  he  formed  them  himself,  by  the  simple  observation  or  atten 
tive  study  of  facts,  unswayed  by  any  bias  or  prepossession,  always 
acquainting  himself  personally  with  the  actual  truth. 

Thus,  when  he  had  examined,  reflected,  and  made  up  his  mind, 
nothing  disturbed  him ;  he  did  not  permit  himself  to  be  thrown  into, 
and  kept  in,  a  state  of  perpetual  doubt  and  irresolution,  either  by  the 
opinions  of  others,  or  by  love  of  applause,  or  by  fear  of  opposition. 
He  trusted  in  God  and  in  himself.  "If  any  power  on  earth  could,  or 
the  Great  Power  above  would,  erect  the  standard  of  infallibility  in 
political  opinions,  there  is  no  being  that  inhabits  the  terrestrial  globe, 
that  would  resort  to  it  with  more  eagerness  than  myself,  so  long  as  I 
remain  a  servant  of  the  public.  But  as  I  have  found  no  better  guide 
hitherto,  than  upright  intentions,  and  close  investigation,  I  shall  adhere 
to  those  maxims,  while  I  keep  the  watch."* 

To  this  strong  and  independent  understanding,  he  joined  a  great 
courage,  always  ready  to  act  upon  conviction,  and  fearless  of  conse 
quences.  "What  I  admire  in  Christopher  Columbus,"  said  Turgot, 
"is,  not  his  having  discovered  the  new  world,  but  his  having  gone  to 

*  Letter  to  General  Knox,  dated  Mount  Vernon,  20  September,  1795. — ED. 


224  GUIZOT. 

search  for  it  on  the  faith  of  an  opinion."  Whether  the  occasion  was 
of  great  or  little  moment,  whether  the  consequences  were  near  at  hand 
or  remote,  Washington,  when  once  convinced  never  hesitated  to  move 
onward  upon  the  faith  of  his  conviction.  One  would  have  inferred 
from  his  firm  and  quiet  resolution,  that  it  was  natural  to  him*  to  act 
with  decision,  and  assume  responsibility ; — a  certain  sign  of  a  genius 
born  to  command;  an  admirable  power,  when  united  to  a  conscien 
tious  disinterestedness. 

On  the  list  of  great  men,  if  there  be  some  who  have  shone  with  a 
more  dazzling  lustre,  there  are  none  who  have  been  exposed  to  a  more 
complete  test,  in  war  and  in  civil  government;  resisting  the  king,  in 
the  cause  of  liberty,  and  the  people,  in  the  cause  of  legitimate  authority; 
commencing  a  revolution  and  ending  it.  *  *  *  * 

His  military  capacity  has  been  called  in  question.  He  did  not 
manifest,  it  is  true,  those  striking  displays  of  it  which,  in  Europe,  have 
given  renown  to  great  captains.  Operating  with  a  small  army  over  an 
immense  space,  great  manoeuvres  and  great  battles  were  necessarily 
unknown  to  him.  But  his  superiority,  acknowledged  and  declared  by 
his  companions,  the  continuance  of  the  war  during  nine  years,  and  its 
final  success,  are  also  to  be  taken  as  proofs  of  his  merit,  and  may  well 
justify  his  reputation.  His  personal  bravery  was  chivalrous  even  to 
rashness,  and  he  more  than  once  abandoned  himself  to  this  impulse  in 
a  manner  painful  to  contemplate.  More  than  once,  the  American 
militia,  seized  with  terror,  took  to  flight,  and  brave  officers  sacrificed 
their  lives  to  infuse  courage  into  their  soldiers.  In  1776,  on  a  similar 
occasion,  Washington  indignantly  persisted  in  remaining  on  the  field 
of  battle,  exerting  himself  to  arrest  the  fugitives  by  his  example  and 


GUIZOT.  225 

even  by  his  hand.  "We  made,"  wrote  General  Greene  the  next  day, 
"a  miserable,  disorderly  retreat  from  New  York,  owing  to  the  disor 
derly  conduct  of  the  militia.  Fellow's  and  Parson's  brigades  ran  away 
from  about  fifty  men,  and  left  his  Excellency  on  the  ground  within 
eighty  yards  of  the  enemy,  so  vexed  at  the  infamous  conduct  of  the 
troops,  that  he  sought  death  rather  than  life."* 

On  more  than  one  occasion,  also,  when  the  opportunity  appeared 
favorable,  he  displayed  the  boldness  of  the  general  as  well  as  the  intre 
pidity  of  the  man.  He  has  been  called  the  American  Fabius,  it  being 
said  that  the  art  of  avoiding  battle,  of  baffling  the  enemy,  and  of  tem 
porizing,  was  his  talent  as  well  as  his  taste.  In  1775,  before  Boston, 
at  the  opening  of  the  war,  this  Fabius  wished  to  bring  it  to  a  close  by 
a  sudden  attack  upon  the  English  army,  which  he  flattered  himself  he 
should  be  able  to  destroy.  Three  successive  councils  of  war,  forced 
him  to  abandon  his  design,  but  without  shaking  his  conviction,  and  he 
expressed  bitter  regret  at  the  result.  In  1776,  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  when  the  weather  was  extremely  cold,  in  the  midst  of  a  retreat, 
with  troops  half  disbanded,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  preparing 
to  leave  him  and  return  to  their  own  homes,  Washington  suddenly 
assumed  an  offensive  position,  attacked,  one  after  another,  at  Trenton 
and  Princeton,  the  different  corps  of  the  English  army,  and  gained  two 
battles  in  eight  hours. 

Moreover,  he  understood  what  was  even  a  much  higher  and  much 
more  difficult  art,  than  that  of  making  war;  he  knew  how  to  control 
and  direct  it.  War  was  to  him  only  a  means,  always  kept  subordinate 


•*  Washington's  Writings,  Vol.  IV,  p.  94. 
29 


226  GUIZOT. 

to  the  main  and  final  object, — the  success  of  the  cause,  the  indepen 
dence  of  the  country.  *  *  *  * 

A  man  of  experience  and  a  man  of  action,  he  had  an  admirable 
wisdom,  and  made  no  pretension  to  systematic  theories.  He  took  no 
side  beforehand;  he  made  no  show  of  the  principles  that  were  to 
govern  him.  Thus,  there  was  nothing  like  a  logical  harshness  in  his 
conduct,  no  committal  of  self-love,  no  struggle  of  rival  talent.  When 
he  obtained  the  victory,  his  success  was  not  to  his  adversaries  either 
a  stake  lost,  or  a  sweeping  sentence  of  condemnation.  It  was  not  on 
the  ground  of  the  superiority  of  his  own  mind,  that  he  triumphed;  but 
on  the  ground  of  the  nature  of  things,  and  of  the  inevitable  necessity 
that  accompanied  them.  Still  his  success  was  not  an  event  without  a 
moral  character,  the  simple  result  of  skill,  strength,  or  fortune.  Unin 
fluenced  by  any  theory,  he  had  faith  in  truth,  and  adopted  it  as  the 
guide  of  his  conduct.  He  did  not  pursue  the  victory  of  one  opinion 
against  the  partisans  of  another;  neither  did  he  act  from  interest  in 
the  event  alone,  or  merely  for  success.  He  did  nothing  which  he  did 
not  think  to  be  reasonable  and  just;  so  that  his  conduct,  which  had 
no  systematic  character,  that  might  be  humbling  to  his  adversaries, 
had  still  a  moral  character,  which  commanded  respect. 

Men  had,  moreover,  the  most  thorough  conviction  of  his  dis 
interestedness ;  that  great  light,  to  which  men  so  willingly  trust  their 
fate;  that  vast  power,  which  draws  after  it  their  hearts,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  it  gives  them  confidence  that  their  interests  will  not  be  sur 
rendered,  either  as  a  sacrifice,  or  as  instruments  to  selfishness  and 
ambition.  *  *  *  * 

He  did  the  two  greatest  things  which,  in  politics,  man  can  have 


GUIZOT.  227 

the  privilege  of  attempting.  He  maintained,  by  peace,  that  indepen 
dence  of  his  country,  which  he  had  acquired  by  war.  He  founded  a 
free  government,  in  the  name  of  the  principles  of  order,  and  by  re 
establishing  their  sway.  When  he  retired  from  public  life,  both  tasks 
were  accomplished,  and  he  could  enjoy  the  result.  For,  in  such  high 
enterprises,  the  labor  which  they  have  cost  matters  but  little.  The 
sweat  of  any  toil  is  dried  at  once  on  the  brow  where  God  places  such 
laurels.  *  *  *  * 

Government  will  be,  always  and  everywhere,  the  greatest  exercise 
of  the  faculties  of  man,  and  consequently  that  which  requires  minds 
of  the  highest  order.  It  is  for  the  honor,  as  well  as  for  the  interest  of 
society,  that  such  minds  should  be  drawn  into  the  administration  of 
its  affairs,  and  retained  there;  for  no  institutions,  no  securities  can 
supply  their  place. 

And,  on  the  other  hand,  in  men  who  are  worthy  of  this  destiny 
all  weariness,  all  sadness  of  spirit,  however  it  might  be  permitted  in 
others,  is  a  weakness.  Their  vocation  is  labor.  Their  reward  is, 
indeed,  the  success  of  their  efforts,  but  still  only  in  labor.  Very  often 
they  die,  bent  under  the  burden,  before  the  day  of  recompense  arrives. 
Washington  lived  to  receive  it.  He  deserved  and  enjoyed  both  success 
and  repose.  Of  all  great  men,  he  was  the  most  virtuous,  and  the 
most  fortunate.  In  this  world,  God  has  no  higher  favors  to  bestow. 


FRANCOIS  PIERRE  GUILLAUME  GUIZOT  was  born  of  Protestant  parentage  at  Nimes, 
France,  October  4,  1787,  and  died  at  Val  Richer,  Normandy,  in  September,  1874.  Having 
been  educated  at  Geneva,  he  went  to  Paris  in  1805  to  pursue  his  studies  in  the  faculty  of 
laws,  and  was  appointed  the  same  year  professor  of  modern  history  at  the  Sarbonne ;  but  was 
suspended  from  his  functions  in  1822,  because  his  principles  were  offensive  to  the  ministry. 


228  GUIZOT. 

He  was  reinstated  in  1828  and  elected  a  member  of  the  French  Academy  in  1836.  He  be 
came  minister  of  foreign  affairs  October  29,  1840,  and  maintained  himself  in  power  until  the 
Revolution  of  February,  1848,  when  he  escaped  to  England,  returning,  however,  the  follow 
ing  year.  M.  Guizot  supervised  a  French  abridgment  of  Sparks'  "  Writings  of  Washington," 
Paris,  1839-40,  6  vols.,  8vo,  preceded  by  an  essay  on  the  character  and  influence  of  Wash 
ington,  written  by  himself.  The  essay  was  published  separately  at  Paris  in  1839.  A  trans 
lation  was  published  in  London  and  Paris  in  1 840,  and  another  by  George  S.  Hillard,  in  this 
country,  the  same  year,  with  a  second  edition  in  1863,  i6mo,  from  which  our  extracts  are 
made.  In  the  preface,  Mr.  Hillard  says,  "  nothing  has  ever  been  written  concerning  him 
(Washington)  in  Europe,  so  accurate,  so  just,  and  so  profound  as  this;  and  it  will  serve  to 
justify  and  strengthen  that  admiration,  which  has  been  accorded  to  him  in  foreign  countries, 
hardly  less  than  in  his  own." 


WILLIAM  SMYTH. 

1840. 

WASHINGTON  died  in  December,  1799,  after  a  short  illness,  resign 
ing  his  spirit,  with  a  calm  and  untroubled  mind,  to  the  disposal  of 
that  Almighty  Being  in  whose  presence  he  had  acted  his  important 
part,  and  to  whose  kind  providence  he  had  so  often  committed  in 
many  an  anxious  moment,  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the  field,  the  destinies 
of  his  beloved  country.  "He  was  not,"  he  said,  "afraid  to  die." 

To  the  historian,  indeed,  there  are  few  characters  that  appear  so 
little  to  have  shared  the  common  frailties  and  imperfections  of  human 
nature;  there  are  but  few  particulars  that  can  be  mentioned  even  to  his 
disadvantage.  It  is  understood,  for  instance,  that  he  was  once  going 
to  commit  an  important  mistake  as  a  general  in  the  field ;  but  he  had 
at  least  the  very  great  merit  of  listening  to  Lee,  (a  man  whom  he 
could  not  like,  and  who  was  even  his  rival)  and  of  not  committing  the 
mistake.  Instances  may  be  found  where  perhaps  it  may  be  thought 
that  he  was  decisive  to  a  degree  that  partook  of  severity  and  harshness, 
or  even  more ;  but  how  innumerable  were  the  decisions  which  he  had 
to  make !  how  difficult  and  how  important,  through  the  eventful  series 
of  twenty  years  of  command  in  the  cabinet  or  the  field  !  Let  it  be 
considered  what  it  is  to  have  the  management  of  a  revolution,  and 
afterwards  the  maintenance  of  order.  Where  is  the  man  that  in  the 
history  of  our  race  has  ever  succeeded  in  attempting  successively  the 

(229) 


230 


WILLIAM  SMYTH. 


one  and  the  other?  not  on  a  small  scale,  a  petty  state  in  Italy,  or 
among  a  horde  of  barbarians,  but  in  an  enlightened  age,  when  it  is  not 
easy  for  one  man  to  rise  superior  to  another,  and  in  the  eyes  of  man 
kind, — 

"  A  kingdom  for  a  stage, 
And  monarchs  to  behold  the  swelling  scene." 

The  plaudits  of  his  country  were  continually  sounding  in  his  ears, 
and  neither  the  judgment  nor  the  virtues  of  the  man  were  ever  dis 
turbed.  Armies  were  led  to  the  field  with  all  the  enterprise  of  a  hero, 
and  then  dismissed  with  all  the  equanimity  of  a  philosopher.  Power 
was  accepted,  was  exercised,  was  resigned,  precisely  at  the  moment 
and  in  the  way  that  duty  and  patriotism  directed.  Whatever  was  the 
difficulty,  the  trial,  the  temptation,  or  the  danger,  there  stood  the 
soldier  and  the  citizen,  eternally  the  same,  without  fear  and  without 
reproach,  and  there  was  the  man  who  was  not  only  at  all  times  vir 
tuous,  but  at  all  times  wise. 

The  merit  of  Washington  by  no  means  ceases  with  his  campaigns  ; 
it  becomes,  after  the  peace  of  1783,  even  more  striking  than  before; 
for  the  same  man  who,  for  the  sake  of  liberty,  was  ardent  enough  to 
resist  the  power  of  Great  Britain  and  hazard  every  thing  on  this  side 
the  grave,  at  a  later  period  had  to  be  temperate  enough  to  resist 
the  same  spirit  of  liberty,  when  it  was  mistaking  its  proper  objects  and 
transgressing  its  appointed  limits.  The  American  revolution  was  to 
approach  him,  and  he  was  to  kindle  in  the  general  flame;  the  French 
revolution  was  to  reach  him  and  to  consume  but  too  many  of  his 
countrymen,  and  his  "own  etherial  mould,  incapable  of  stain,  was  to 
purge  off  the  baser  fire  victorious."  But  all  this  was  done:  he  might 


WILLIAM  SMYTH.  2  3 1 


have  been  pardoned,  though  he  had  failed  amid  the  enthusiasm  of 
those  around  him,  and  when  liberty  was  the  delusion:  but  the  founda 
tions  of  the  moral  world  were  shaken,  and  not  the  understanding  of 
Washington. 

To  those  who  must  necessarily  contemplate  this  remarkable  man 
at  a  distance,  there  is  a  kind  of  fixed  calmness  in  his  character  that 
seems  not  well  fitted  to  engage  our  affections  (constant  superiority  we 
rather  venerate  than  love),  but  he  had  those  who  loved  him  (his  friends 
and  his  family),  as  well  as  the  world  and  those  that  admired. 

As  a  ruler  of  mankind,  however,  he  may  be  proposed  as  a  model. 
Deeply  impressed  with  the  original  rights  of  human  nature,  he  never 
forgot  that  the  end,  and  meaning,  and  aim  of  all  just  government  was 
the  happiness  of  the  people,  and  he  never  exercised  authority  till  he 
had  first  taken  care  to  put  himself  clearly  in  the  right.  His  candour, 
his  patience,  his  love  of  justice  were  unexampled ;  and  this,  though 
naturally  he  was  not  patient, — much  otherwise,  highly  irritable. 

He  therefore  deliberated  well,  and  placed  his  subject  in  every  point 
of  view  before  he  decided ;  and  his  understanding  being  correct,  he  was 
thus  rendered,  by  the  nature  of  his  faculties,  his  strength  of  mind,  and 
his  principles,  the  man  of  all  others  to  whom  the  interests  of  his  fellow- 
creatures  might  with  most  confidence  be  intrusted ;  that  is,  he  was  the 

FlRST    OF    THE    RULERS    OF    MANKIND. 


WILLIAM  SMYTH  was  born  at  Liverpool  in  1766,  and  died  at  Norwich,  England,  June 
26,  1849.  He  was  educated  at  Cambridge,  where  he  graduated  in  1787,  and  on  March  n, 
1807,  received  the  appointment  of  Professor  of  Modern  History  in  the  University,  a  post 
which  he  retained  until  his  death.  His  "  Lectures  on  Modern  History,  from  the  irruption 
of  the  Northern  Nations  to  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution,"  from  which  we  quote 


232  WILLIAM  SMYTH. 


(Lecture  XXXVI),  were  published  in  1840  in  2  vols.,  8vo.  London  &  Cambridge.  Several 
English  and  American  editions  have  been  issued.  The  Preface  to  the  Boston  edition  of  1841, 
(from  the  second  London  edition,)  written  by  Jared  Sparks,  contains  the  following.  "  His 
character  of  Washington,  is  happily  conceived  and  well  delineated.  In  short  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  any  treatise  on  the  American  Revolution  comprised  within  the  compass  of 
six  lectures,  from  which  so  much  can  be  learned,  or  so  accurate  an  estimate  of  the  merits  of 
both  sides  of  the  question  can  be  formed." 


CHARLES  W.    UPHAM. 

1840. 

IT  is  probable  that  it  would  be  allowed  by  all  truly  liberal  and 
enlightened  men,  that  the  Revolution  of  the  North  American  British 
colonies,  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  an  independent, 
republican,  and  constitutional  empire,  is  one  of  the  greatest  and  most 
momentous  events  in  the  history  of  the  world.  It  is,  indeed,  worthy 
of  being  regarded  as  a  perfectly  successful  political  and  moral  move 
ment.  The  patriot  and  the  philosophical  statesman  look  back  upon 
it  with  unmixed  approval  and  unalloyed  satisfaction.  From  the  begin 
ning  to  the  end  there  seems  to  have  been  an  overruling  power  guiding 

•** 

all  things  right,  and  bringing  on  the  consummation  steadily  and  surely. 
It  is  not  often  that  human  enterprises  and  efforts  are  crowned  with 
results  so  completely  auspicious.  When  we  contemplate  its  incidents, 
and  follow  its  vicissitudes  to  the  issue  towards  which  they  all  tended, 
we  feel  that  never  were  the  indications  of  the  interposition  of  a  favor 
ing  Providence  more  signal  and  unquestionable. 

This  great  and  glorious  event  was  identified  most  distinctly  with 
the  character  and  influence  of  one  man.  There  were  many  wise, 
enlightened,  patriotic,  and  powerful  spirits,  scattered  over  every  part 
of  the  country,  and  laboring  most  efficiently  and  nobly  in  the  cause; 
but  whoever  traces  the  course  of  things,  from  the  commencement  of 
the  War  of  Independence,  to  the  final  establishment  of  the  nation 
30  (233) 


234  CHARLES  W.   UPHAM. 

under  the  Federal  Constitution,  will  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  at  no 
point  could  the  American  Revolution  have  dispensed  with  the  services, 
or  succeeded  without  the  aid  and  influence  of  George  Washington. 
When  his  career  is  surveyed,  his  agency  fully  explored  and  considered, 
his  truly  wonderful  adaptation  to  the  services  assigned  him  discerned 
and  appreciated,  and  his  traits  of  character  are  examined,  the  heart 
that  is  not  deeply  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  was  raised  up  by 
a  special  Providence,  will  find  nothing  in  history  or  in  Nature  to 
awaken*  that  sentiment. 

A  concise  and  plain  narrative  of  his  life  and  actions,  of  the 
influence  he  exerted,  the  events  he  controlled,  and  the  course  of 
faithful,  trying,  and  glorious  service,  through  which  he  passed, 
will  leave  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader  a  conviction,  that  neither 
the  actual  annals  of  human  experience,  nor  the  creations  of  poetical 
fancy,  have  ever  presented  a  character  more  worthy  of  entire  respect 
and  admiration.  The  mind  contemplates  him  with  a  completeness 
of  satisfaction,  such  as  but  few  objects,  belonging  to  this  present 
scene  of  things,  suggest.  As  the  military  leader  of  a  political  revolu 
tion,  as  the  ruler  of  a  free,  and  the  father  of  a  great  people,  he 
appears  stamped  with  the  character  of  absolute  perfection.  *  *  * 

General  Washington  was  remarkable  for  the  sobriety,  gravity, 
and  dignity  of  his  manners  and  aspect.  In  early  life,  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  he  was  cheerful  and  social,  even  to  a  more  than 
ordinary  degree;  but  the  weight  and  magnitude  of  the  cares  which 
were  afterwards  accumulated  upon  him,  gradually  imparted  to  his 
bearing  and  mien  an  appearance  of  abstraction  and  reserve.  This 
became  the  fixed  expression  of  his  countenance  at  the  time  of  the 


CHARLES  W,   UPHAM.  235 

Revolution.  His  far-reaching  mind  discerned  the  vast  importance 
of  the  cause  intrusted  to  his  hands.  He  regarded  the  contest  with 
the  deepest  solicitude,  and  was  impressed  with  awe,  when  he  con 
sidered  the  interest  at  stake.  *  *  *  * 

The  intellect  of  Washington  was  of  the  highest  order.  His 
judgment  was  superlatively  clear  and  strong.  His  reasoning  faculties, 
in  what  must  unquestionably  be  considered  the  surest  test  of  their 
power,  that  is,  an  application  to  practical  questions,  of  the  greatest 
complexity  and  the  widest  comprehension,  were  wonderfully  exact, 
forcible,  and  effective  in  their  operations.  As  a  military  commander, 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  a  perfectly  accurate  estimate  of  the  character 
and  amount  of  the  resources  which  his  own  country  could  supply, 
and  also  of  those  within  the  reach  of  the  enemy,  and  was  thus 
enabled  to  form  a  plan  for  conducting  the  war  which  was  the  only 
one  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  the  occasion,  and  which  alone 
could  have  been  crowned  with  success.  The  same  unerring  judg 
ment,  grasping  every  detail,  and  surveying  with  the  clearest  vision 
the  whole  ground,  led  him  in  safety  and  in  triumph  through  all  the 
difficulties  of  his  civil  administration.  It  was  in  consequence  of  the 
conviction  universally  felt  of  his  superior  judgment,  of  the  unrivalled 
strength  and  efficiency  of  his  reasoning  faculties,  in  all  practical  appli 
cations,  that  his  opinions  were  clothed  with  such  authority,  not  only 
over  the  great  body  of  the  people,  but  also  and  equally  over  the  first 
minds  of  that  day.  The  same  admirable  judgment  appears  in  his 
numerous  writings,  and,  combined  with  good  taste,  and  a  style  of 
remarkable  neatness,  perspicuity,  simplicity,  and  dignity,  has  given 
to  the  productions  of  his  pen  a  character  and  value  proportioned  to 
the  greatness  of  his  services  and  the  glory  of  his  name.  *  *  *  * 


236  CHARLES  W.   UPHAM. 

Self-control,  self-denial,  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men, 
humility  in  his  estimate  of  himself,  justice  and  candor  towards  others, 
innocence,  integrity,  and  fortitude  of  heart,  and  a  conscientious  and 
indomitable  fidelity  and  perseverance  in  the  discharge  of  every 
trust,  were  seen  in  all  his  actions,  constituted  the  chief  lustre  of  his 
character,  were  stamped  on  every  feature,  and  drawn  in  every  line 
of  his  countenance.  These  moral  sentiments  were  the  rules  of  his 
thoughts  and  his  life.  They  were  evidently  established  on  the  only 
sure  foundation,  an  habitual  and  profound  reverence  of  the  Divine 
Being,  and  an  entire  subjection  of  the  mind  to  his  will.  This  appears 
throughout  his  private  correspondence,  as  well  as  in  his  public 
productions.  His  opinions,  in  reference  to  the  creeds  of  different 
churches,  and  questions  of  controversial  theology,  were  never  made 
known,  and  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  But  his  religious  character 
is  placed  beyond  doubt.  His  life  is  its  evidence.  It  is  seen  in  all 
his  writings,  and  is  declared  by  the  testimony  of  those  who  witnessed 
his  most  private  and  familiar  habits  and  frames  of  mind.  *  *  *  * 
The  fame  of  Washington  may  be  safely  said  to  transcend  that  of 
all  other  men.  It  spreads  wider  and  shines  brighter  with  the  lapse  of 
every  year.  Counties,  cities,  and  towns,  political,  patriotic,  benevolent, 
literary,  and  municipal  associations,  all  over  America,  inscribe  his  name 
in  their  titles.  His  character  is  honored,  cherished,  and  understood 
by  all  the  people  of  all  parties.  The  day  of  his  birth  is  held  in  hal 
lowed  remembrance,  and  commemorated  with  grateful  rejoicings. 
The  slightest  actions  he  ever  performed  are  preserved  and  embalmed 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.  His  familiar  letters  have  been  pub 
lished,  his  most  private  habits  exposed,  and  his  whole  life  brought  to 


CHARLES  W.   UPHAM.  237 

view.  Whatever  relates  to  him  is  regarded  with  reverence  and  admi 
ration,  and  nothing  has  ever  been  revealed  which  has  not  tended  to 
confirm  those  sentiments. 

The  writer  of  this  memoir  was  disposed  to  glean  and  gather  all 
that  could  be  considered  as  defects  in  his  character,  or  errors  in  his 
conduct.  He  felt  that  the  picture  he  had  drawn,  required  some  shade 
to  heighten  its  effect.  The  only  instances  in  which  Washington  was 
known  to  have  yielded  to  the  impulses  of  passion  have  been  faithfully 
recorded,  and  the  result  of  the  researches,  which  have  been  made  in 
arranging  the  materials  of  this  biography,  is  a  decided  conviction  th.at 
the  subject  of  it  was  as  habitually,  as  uniformly,  and  as  constantly 
under  the  control  of  an  enlightened  conscience  as  any  character  within 
the  range  of  mere  human  history. 

Such,  too,  is  the  general  sentiment  of  the  world.  In  this  we  find 
the  secret  of  his  peculiar  glory.  It  is  because  it  is  every  where  felt 
that  his  life  was  without  stain  and  throughout  governed  by  high  moral 
principle,  that  his  reputation  surpasses  that  of  all  other  military  and 
political  leaders.  This  is  the  great  charm  of  his  character.  His 
unquestionable  integrity,  and  the  purity  of  his  personal  virtue,  have 
surrounded  his  name,  in  the  estimation  of  all  nations,  with  an  unrivalled 
lustre. 

This  conspicuous  and  acknowledged  rectitude  and  integrity  of 
character  have  ever  been,  and  will  ever  be,  to  him  and  to  his  fame,  an 
all-sufficient  shield  of  defence.  They  made  him,  through  life,  invul 
nerable  to  the  assults  of  calumny,  and  placed  him  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  During  his  long  public  career  he  was,  at 
times,  pursued  by  malice,  encompassed  by  difficulties,  and  involved  in 


238  CHARLES  W.   UPHAM. 

disaster;  but  never,  for  a  moment,  was  the  brightness  of  his  fame 
obscured ;  never,  for  a  moment,  did  he  lose  his  hold  upon  the  confi 
dence  and  love  of  his  countrymen.  The  clamors  of  enemies,  and  the 
storms  of  misfortune,  passed  harmlessly  and  unheeded  beneath  the 
lofty  elevation  of  his  bright  and  spotless  honor.  The  purity  and  firm 
ness  of  his  principles  were  so  well  known,  so  visible  to  the  eyes  of  all 
beholders,  that  neither  hostile  men,  nor  adverse  events,  could,  even  for 
a  moment,  cast  a  shadow  over  his  great  and  good  name. 

"As  some  tall  cliff,  that  lifts  its  awful  form, 
Swells  from  the  vale,  and  midway  leaves  the  storm ; 
Though  round  its  breast  the  rolling  clouds  are  spread, 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head." 

The  memory  of  Washington  is  a  possession  of  infinite  value  to 
the  people  of  America.  Among  the  innumerable  evidences  of  the 
favor  of  Providence,  with  which  they  have  been  blessed,  it  is  an  occa 
sion  of  especial  gratitude,  on  their  part,  that  such  a  character  was 
raised  up,  to  lead  them  to  the  attainment  and  enjoyment  of  their 
national  independence  and  liberty.  It  becomes  them,  in  their  thanks 
givings  to  Heaven,  to  praise  and  bless  God,  that  when  the  sword  was 
to  be  drawn,  and  embattled  hosts  to  be  arrayed,  He  gave  to  their  fathers 
a  champion  and  a  leader,  whom  a  virtuous  and  Christian  people  can 
safely  teach  their  children  to  honor  and  love.  In  the  progress  of 
civilization  and  Christianity,  war,  with  all  its  works,  will  "be  done  away. 
Its  glories  and  its  horrors  will  be  known  only  in  history; — but  in  those 
happy  days  Washington  will  still  be  found  worthy  of  the  admiration 
of  mankind.  The  future  generations  of  America,  and  the  friends  of 
liberty,  to  the  end  of  time,  while  they  admire  his  valor,  shown  on  fields 


CHARLES  W.   UPHAM.  239 

of  blood,  will  also  find  much  more  to  admire  in  the  private  and  personal 
virtues  which  made  his  whole  life  beautiful,  noble  and  grand.  The 
enthusiasm  with  which  they  contemplate  the  hero  will  be  blended  with 
approbation,  love,  and  delight  as  the  patriot,  the  citizen,  the  philan 
thropist  rises  to  view.  They  may  safely  give  their  hearts  to  the 
conqueror  who  feared  not  man,  for  their  lives  will  thereby  be  brought 
under  the  power  of  the  example  of  one  who  feared  God.  It  will  be 
well  for  them  to  linger  before  the  living  canvass  which  delineates  his 
form,  for,  although  the  sword  of"  battle  is  at  his  side,  and  his  arm  rests 
upon  the  neck  of  his  war-horse,  the  spirit  of  benevolence  and  of  peace 
beams  from  his  countenance,  and  the  lessons  of  virtue  are  proclaimed 
from  his  life.  Happy  indeed  is  the  people,  who  will  for  ever  call  him 
the  FATHER  OF  HIS  COUNTRY! 


CHARLES  WENTWORTH  UPHAM  was  born  at  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  May  4,  1802, 
and  died  at  Salem,  Mass.,  June  15,  1875.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1821,  and 
was  settled  over  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Salem,  December  8,  1824,  but  relin 
quished  the  ministry  in  1844,  on  account  of  loss  of  voice.  His  "  Life  of  Washington  in  the 
form  of  an  autobiography,  the  narrative  being  to  a  great  extent,  conducted  by  himself,  in 
extracts  and  selections  from  his  own  writings,"  was  published  at  Boston  in  1840,  2  vols.,  I2mo. 
The  edition  having  been  suppressed  by  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  as  an  invasion 
of  the  copyright  of  Sparks'  Life  of  Washington,  the  stereotype  plates  were  sent  to  England, 
and  the  work  published  in  London,  in  1852,  with  the  title,  "The  Life  of  General  Washington, 
First  President  of  the  United  States,  written  by  himself,  comprising  his  memoirs  and  cor 
respondence  as  prepared  by  him  for  publication."  The  materials  for  this  work  are  judiciously 
selected  and  arranged,  and  the  character  of  Washington,  which  we  quote,  ably  written. 


ARCHIBALD  ALISON. 

1842. 

THE  end  of  the  same  year  (1796),  witnessed  the  resignation  of  the 
presidency  of  the  United  States  of  America  by  General  Washington, 
and  his  voluntary  retirement  into  private  life.  Modern  history  has 
not  a  more  spotless  character  to  commemorate.  Invincible  in  resolu 
tion,  firm  in  conduct,  incorruptible  in  integrity,  he  brought  to  the 
helm  of  a  victorious  republic  the  simplicity  and  innocence  of  rural  life; 
he  was  forced  into  greatness  by  circumstances  rather  than  led  into  it 
by  inclination,  and  prevailed  over  his  enemies  rather  by  the  wisdom 
of  his  designs,  and  the  perseverance  of  his  character,  than  by  any  extra 
ordinary  genius  for  the  art  of  war.  A  soldier  from  necessity  and 
patriotism  rather  than  disposition,  he  was  the  first  to  recommend  a 
return  to  pacific  counsels  when  the  independence  of  his  country  was 
secured;  and  bequeathed  to  his  countrymen  an  address  on  leaving 
their  government,  to  which  there  are  few  compositions  of  uninspired 
wisdom  which  can  bear  a  comparison.  He  was  modest  without  diffi 
dence;  sensible  to  the  voice  of  fame  without  vanity;  independent  and 
dignified  without  either  asperity  or  pride.  He  was  a  friend  to  liberty, 
but  not  to  licentiousness — not  to  the  dreams  of  enthusiasts,  but  to 
those  practical  ideas  which  America  had  inherited  from  her  British 
descent,  and  which  were  opposed  to  nothing  so  much  as  the  extra 
vagant  love  of  power  in  the  French  democracy.  Accordingly,  after 
having  signalized  his  life  by  a  successful  resistance  to  English  oppres- 
(240) 


ARCHIBALD  ALISON.  241 

sion,  he  closed  it  by  the  warmest  advice  to  cultivate  the  friendship  of 
Great  Britain;  and  exerted  his  whole  influence,  shortly  before  his 
resignation,  to  effect  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  friendly  and  com 
mercial  intercourse  between  the  mother  country  and  its  emancipated 
offspring.  He  was  a  Cromwell  without  his  ambition ;  a  Sylla  without 
his  crimes :  and  after  having  raised  his  country,  by  his  exertions,  to 
the  rank  of  an  independent  state,  he  closed  his  career  by  a  voluntary 
relinquishment  of  the  power  which  a  grateful  people  had  bestowed. 
If  it  is  the  highest  glory  of  England  to  have  given  birth,  even  amidst 
Transatlantic  wilds,  to  such  a  man;  and  if  she  cannot  number  him 
among  those  who  have  extended  her  provinces  or  augmented  her 
dominions,  she  may  at  least  feel  a  legitimate  pride  in  the  victories 
which  he  achieved,  and  the  great  qualities  which  he  exhibited,  in  the 
contest  with  herself;  and  indulge  with  satisfaction  in  the  reflection, 
that  that  vast  empire,  which  neither  the  ambition  of  Louis  XIV  nor 
the  power  of  Napoleon  could  dismember,  received  its  first  shock  from 
the  courage  which  she  had  communicated  to  her  own  offspring;  and 
that,  amidst  the  convulsions  and  revolutions  of  other  states,  real 
liberty  has  arisen  in  that  nation  alone,  which  inherited  in  its  veins  the 
genuine  principles  of  British  freedom. 


SIR  ARCHIBALD  ALISON  was  born  at  Kenley,  Shropshire,  England,  December  29,  1792, 
and  died  at  Glasgow,  Scotland,  May  23,  1867.  He  received  his  education  in  Edinburgh; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1814,  made  Sheriff  of  Lanarkshire  in  1828,  Rector  of  Glasgow 
University  in  1851,  and  created  a  baronet,  1852.  His  "  History  of  Europe  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  French  Revolution  to  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons,"  10  vols.,  8vo, 
1829-42,  from  Vol.  IV,  Chapter  XXI,  of  which  we  quote,  established  his  reputation  as  an 
historian,  in  Europe  and  America.  Many  editions  have  been  published,  and  it  has  been 
translated  into  French,  German,  Hindostanee  and  Arabic. 

31 


DANIEL   WEBSTER. 

1843- 

AMERICA  has  furnished  to  the  world  the  character  of  Washington ! 
And  if  our  American  institutions  had  done  nothing  else,  that  alone 
would  have  entitled  them  to  the  respect  of  mankind. 

Washington !  "  First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen!"  Washington  is  all  our  own  !  The  enthusiastic 
veneration  and  regard  in  which  the  people  of  the  United  States  hold 
him,  prove  them  to  be  worthy  of  such  a  countryman;  while  his  repu 
tation  abroad  reflects  the  highest  honor  on  his  country  and  its  in 
stitutions.  I  would  cheerfully  put  the  question  to-day  to  the  intelli 
gence  of  Europe  and  the  world,  what  character  of  the  century,  upon 
the  whole,  stands  out  in  the  relief  of  history,  most  pure,  most  re 
spectable,  most  sublime;  and  I  doubt  not,  that,  by  a  suffrage  approach 
ing  to  unanimity,  the  answer  would  be  Washington ! 

The  structure  now  standing  before  us,*  by  its  uprightness,  its 
solidity,  its  durability,  is  no  unfit  emblem  of  his  character.  His  public 
virtues  and  public  principles  were  as  firm  as  the  earth  on  which  it 
stands ;  his  personal  motives,  as  pure  as  the  serene  heaven  in  which 
its  summit  is  lost.  But,  indeed,  though  a  fit,  it  is  an  inadequate 
emblem.  Towering  high  above  the  column  which  our  hands  have 

*  Bunker  Hill  Monument. — ED. 
(242) 


DANIEL  WEBSTER.  243 


builded,  beheld,  not  by  the  inhabitants  of  a  single  city  or  a  single 
State — but  by  all  the  families  of  man,  ascends  the  colossal  grandeur 
of  the  character  and  life  of  Washington.  In  all  the  constituents  of 
the  one — in  all  the  acts  of  the  other — in  all  its  titles  to  immortal  love, 
admiration  and  renown — it  is  an  American  production.  It  is  the 
embodiment  and  vindication  of  our  transatlantic  liberty.  Born  upon 
our  soil — of  parents  also  born  upon  it — never  for  a  moment  having  had 
sight  of  the  old  world — instructed  according  to  the  modes  of  his  time, 
only  in  the  spare,  plain,  but  wholesome  elementary  knowledge  which 
our  institutions  provide  for  the  children  of  the  people — growing  up 
beneath  and  penetrated  by  the  genuine  influences  of  American  society 
— living  from  infancy  to  manhood  and  age  amidst  our  expanding,  but 
not  luxurious  civilization — partaking  in  our  great  destiny  of  labor,  our 
long  contest  with  unreclaimed  nature  and  uncivilized  man — our  agony 
of  glory,  the  war  of  Independence — our  great  victory  of  peace,  the  for 
mation  of  the  Union,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Constitution, — he 
is  all — all  our  own !  Washington  is  ours.  That  crowded  and  glorious 
life— 

"  Where  multitudes  of  virtues  passed  along, 
Each  pressing  foremost,  in  the  mighty  throng 
Ambitious  to  be  seen,  then  making  room 
For  greater  multitudes  that  were  to  come;" — 

that  life,  was  the  life  of  an  American  citizen. 

I  claim  him  for  America.  In  all  the  perils,  in  every  darkened 
moment  of  the  state,  in  the  midst  of  the  reproaches  of  enemies  and 
the  misgiving  of  friends — I  turn  to  that  transcendent  name  for  courage 
and  for  consolation.  To  him  who  denies,  or  doubts  whether  our 
fervid  liberty  can  be  combined  with  law,  with  order,  with  the  security 


244  DANIEL  WEBSTER. 

of  property,  with  the  pursuits  and  advancement  of  happiness — to  him 
who  denies  that  our  institutions  are  capable  of  producing  exaltation 
of  soul,  and  the  passion  of  true  glory — to  him  who  denies  that  we 
have  contributed  any  thing  to  the  stock  of  great  lessons  and  great 
examples — to  all  these  I  reply  by  pointing  to  Washington ! 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  was  born  at  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  January  18,  1782,  and  died  at  Marsh- 
field,  Mass.,  Octocer  24,  1852.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1801,  studied  law 
under  Christopher  Gore  of  Boston,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1805,  and  practiced  in  Ports 
mouth,  N.  H.,  until  1 816,  when  he  moved  to  Boston,  He  was  member  of  Congress,  1813-17, 
and  1823-27;  United  States  Senator,  1828-41,  and  1845-50;  Secretary  of  State  under  Presi 
dents  Harrison  and  Tyler,  1841-43,  and  under  President  Fillmore,  from  July  20,  1850,  until 
his  death.  As  an  expounder  of  the  powers  and  functions  of  the  Federal  government,  as  a 
great  pleader,  as  an  eloquent  and  finished  speaker,  and  as  a  man,  Daniel  Webster  stands  in 
the  front  rank  of  American  statesmen,  lawyers,  orators  and  patriots.  Our  extract  is  from  his 
"Address  delivered  at  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1843,  on  the  completion  of  the  Monument." 
8vo.,  pp.  39.  Boston,  1843. 


VON  RAUMER. 

1846. 

CONGRESS  delivered  to  General  Washington  with  provident  saga 
city  and  noble  confidence  the  supreme  command  of  the  army.  He 
was  empowered  at  his  discretion  to  raise  and  disband  troops,  to  inflict 
punishment,  levy  contributions,  award  compensations,  etc.  That  such 
a  man  as  Washington  was  to  be  found,  and  that  his  worth  was  duly 
appreciated,  were  circumstances  highly  fortunate  and  highly  meri 
torious.  Without  his  personal  influence  and  exertions,  the  American 
revolution  could  never  have  succeeded  so  admirably;  in  fact  none  can 
succed  where  the  excited  masses  are  destitute  of  wise  and  virtuous 
leaders. 

George  Washington  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  the  County  of  West 
moreland,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1732,  sound  and  strong  in  body, 
cultivated  in  mind  by  industry  but  still  more  by  his  way  of  life,  and 
distinguished  as  a  leader  in  the  war  of  1/56  to  1/63.  He  had  an 
intellect  powerful  but  not  dazzling.  Even  in  the  present  day  in 
America,  happily  for  the  country,  merely  brilliant  qualities  are  by  no 
means  over-estimated,  as  is  so  often  the  case  in  France;  and  rectitude, 
character,  and  virtue  are  never  regarded  as  superfluous  unimportant 
accompaniments.  Few  men  who  have  earned  for  themselves  a  cele 
brated  name  in  the  history  of  the  world  exhibit  such  a  harmony,  such 
a  concordant  symmetry  of  all  the  qualities  calculated  to  render  himself 

(245) 


246  VON  RAUMER. 


and  others  happy,  as  Washington;  and  it  has  been  very  appropriately 
observed,  that,  like  the  master-pieces  of  ancient  art,  he  must  be  the 
more  admired  in  the  aggregate,  the  more  closely  he  is  examined  in 
detail.  His  soul  was  elevated  above  party-spirit,  prejudice,  self-interest, 
and  paltry  aims;  he  acted  according  to  the  impulses  of  a  noble  heart 
and  a  sound  understanding,  strengthened  by  impartial  observation. 
By  calmly  considering  things  in  all  their  relations  and  from  every 
point  of  view,  he  became  master  of  them,  and  was  able,  even  in  situa 
tions  of  the  greatest  perplexity,  to  choose  with  certainty  that  which 
was  best.  To  the  greatest  firmness  he  united  the  mildness  and  patience 
equally  necessary  in  the  then  state  of  affairs ;  to  prudence  and  foresight 
he  joined  boldness  at  the  right  moment;  and  the  power  entrusted  to 
him  he  never  abused  by  the  slightest  infraction  of  the  laws. 

Although  it  is  impossible  that  an  American  can  ever  again  per 
form  such  services  for  his  country  as  were  then  rendered  by  Washing 
ton,  his  noble,  blameless,  and  spotless  image  will  remain  a  model  and 
a  rallying-point  to  all,  to  encourage  the  good  and  to  deter  the  bad. 
How  petty  do  the  common  race  of  martial  heroes  appear  in  compari 
son  with  Washington !  how  insignificant  especially  Lord  North,  who 
while  internally  wavering,  strove  after  an  appearance  of  decision,  feebly 
pursued  measures  of  violence,  and  awakened  hatred  without  instilling 
fear! 

FRIEDRICH  LUDWIG  GEORG  VON  RAUMER,  a  German  historian,  was  born  near  Dresden, 
May  14,  1781,  and  died  in  1873.  He  studied  law  and  financial  science  at  the  Universities  of 
Halle  and  Gottingen,  began  the  practice  of  law  in  1801,  and  in  1819  became  Professor  of 
history  and  political  economy  at  Berlin.  Von  Raumer  travelled  in  America  in  1843,  an(i 
wrote  "America  and  the  American  people,"  which  was  translated  by  William  W.  Turner, 
and  published  in  New  York  in  1846,  8vo,  from  which  we  quote. 


WILLIAM  B.  SPRAGUE. 

1847- 

IT  is  rare  to  find  a  perfectly  balanced  character,  even  where  the 
qualities  which  compose  it  rise  not  above  a  humble  mediocrity.  And 
it  is  rarer  still  to  find  an  assemblage  of  the  loftiest  qualities  so  har 
moniously  combined,  that  no  one  can  say  that  any  one  quality  casts 
any  of  the  rest  into  the  shade.  And  who  that  knows  anything  o 
Washington, — who,  especially,  that  reads  his  farewell  address,  can 
doubt  for  a  moment,  that  he  was  pre-eminently  one  of  the  rarest 
specimens  of  human  character?  Our  country  can  indeed  boast  many 
other  names  that  are  deservedly  called  great;  but  in  almost  every 
instance,  if  you  scrutinize  closely,  you  find  some  doubtful  spot  that 
you  wish  to  hide;  something  to  disturb  harmony,  or  mar  dignity,  or 
lessen  usefulness — Washington,  on  the  other  hand,  not  only  possessed 
every  quality  that  belongs  to  true  greatness,  but  so  far  as  we  can  see, 
possessed  all  in  perfect  proportions.  The  intellectual,  the  moral,  even 
the  physical,  are  so  admirably  blended,  that  every  one  feels  that  the 
elements  of  his  character  must  have  been  weighed  out  in  a  perfectly 
even  balance;  and  no  one  thinks  of  exalting  one  of  his  faculties  at  the 
expense  of  another.  I  well  know  that  this  is  not  the  type  of  character 
which  multitudes  love  to  contemplate;  for  many  have  a  passion  for 
the  monstrous  as  well  as  the  marvellous.  It  is  a  common  remark 
that  genius  is  eccentric;  and  hence  not  a  few  admire  eccentricity  from 

(247) 


248  WILLIAM  B.  SPRAGUE. 

its  supposed  alliance  to  superior  intellect ;  and  some  even  feign  eccen 
tricity,  as  a  means  of  acquiring  an  intellectual  reputation.  But  this 
quality,  when  it  actively  exists,  always  supposes  imperfection:  a 
correct  taste  uniformly  condemns  it.  It  may  be  notorious  for  a  little 
time;  but  it  is  like  the  transient  and  startling  light  of  a  meteor — not 
like  the  clear  and  steady  shining  of  the  sun.  Cases  indeed  there  are 
in  which  ill-balanced  minds  possess  great  strength,  and  make  them 
selves  every  where  known  and  always  remembered;  but  the  admira 
tion  which  they  excite  at  first,  rarely  survives  their  own  generation. 
Napoleon's  name  no  doubt  will  live  as  long  as  Washington's ;  but  the 
one  will  gather  around  it  in  the  distance,  a  darkness  that  can  be  felt, 
the  other  will  shrine  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  *  *  * 
I  would  not  indeed  be  afraid  to  trust  to  this  unparalled  docu 
ment*  to  vindicate  the  claims  of  its  author  to  the  character  of  the  first 
man  of  his  age — nay,  of  one  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  the  race.  I 
look  upon  it  as  that  in  which  his  greatness,  his  goodness,  the  epitome 
of  all  that  belongs  to  his  memory,  is  embalmed;  and  if  it  were  possible 
that  the  time  should  ever  come,  when  every  other  witness  concerning 
him  was  dumb,  this  of  itself  would  keep  his  name  glorious  and  glow 
ing  to  the  end  of  time.  Nevertheless  in  our  estimate  of  him,  it  is  fit 
ting  that  we  include  his  whole  history,  instead  of  limiting  ourselves  to 
a  single  point,  no  matter  how  important;  and  I  pledge  myself  to  those 
who  have  not  already  made  the  experiment,  that  if  they  will  follow 
him  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  his  career,  each  successive  step 
will  increase  their  admiration  of  his  character,  by  throwing  into  a 
brighter  light  some  one  or  more  of  the  exalted  qualities  that  compose  it. 

*  The  Farewell  Address. — ED. 


WILLIAM  B.  SPRAGUE.  249 

WILLIAM  BUELL  SPRAGUE,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Andover,  Conn.,  October  16,  1795,  and 
died  May  7,  1876.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1815,  and  afterwards  studied  divinity. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  at  Albany,  New  York,  for  many  years,  and 
the  author  of  numerous  publications.  Our  extract  is  from  "  An  Address  delivered  the  even 
ing  of  the  22d  of  February,  1847,  before  the  Young  Men's  Association  of  the  City  of  Albany." 
8vo,  pp.  51.  Albany,  1847. 


RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD. 

1847- 

AN  attentive  examination  of  the  whole  subject,  and  of  all  that  can 
contribute  to  the  formation  of  a  sound  opinion,  results  in  the  belief 
that  General  Washington's  mental  abilities  illustrate  the  very  highest 
type  of  greatness.  His  mind,  probably,  was  one  of  the  very  greatest  that 
was  ever  given  to  mortality.  Yet  it  is  impossible  to  establish  that 
position  by  a  direct  analysis  of  his  character,  or  conduct,  or  produc 
tions.  When  we  look  at  the  incidents  or  the  results  of  that  great 
career — when  we  contemplate  the  qualities  by  which  it  is  marked, 
from  its  beginning  to  its  end — the  foresight  w"hich  never  was  surprised, 
the  judgment  which  nothing  could  deceive,  the  wisdom  whose  resources 
were  incapable  of  exhaustion — combined  with  a  spirit  as  resolute  in 
its  official  duties  as  it  was  moderate  in  its  private  pretensions,  as 
indomitable  in  its  public  temper  as  it  was  gentle  in  its  personal  tone — 
we  are  left  in  wonder  and  reverence.  But  when  we  would  enter  into 
the  recesses  of  that  mind — when  we  would  discriminate  upon  its  con 
struction,  and  reason  upon  its  operations — when  we  would  tell  how 
it  was  composed,  and  why  it  excelled — we  are  entirely  at  fault.  The 
processes  of  Washington's  understanding  are  entirely  hidden  from  us. 
What  came  from  it,  in  counsel  or  in  action,  was  the  life  and  glory  of 
his  country;  what  went  on  within  it,  is  shrouded  in  impenetrable 
concealment. 
(250) 


RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD.  251 

Such  elevation  in  degree,  of  wisdom,  amounts  almost  to  a  change 
of  kind,  in  nature,  and  detaches  his  intelligence  from  the  sympathy  of 
ours.  We  cannot  see  him  as  he  was,  because  we  are  not  like  him. 
The  tones  of  the  mighty  bell  were  heard  with  the  certainty  of  Time 
itself,  and  with  a  force  that  vibrates  still  upon  the  air  of  life,  and  will 
vibrate  forever.  But  the  clock-work  by  which  they  were  regulated 
and  given  forth,  we  can  neither  see  nor  understand.  In  fact,  his 
intellectual  abilities  did  not  exist  in  an  analytical  and  separated  form ; 
but  in  a  combined  and  concrete  state.  They  "  moved  altogether  when 
they  moved  at  all."  They  were  in  no  degree  speculative,  but  only 
practical.  They  could  not  act  at  all  in  the  region  of  imagination,  but 
only  upon  the  field  of  reality.  The  sympathies  of  his  intelligence 
dwelt  exclusively  in  the  national  being  and  action.  Its  interests  and 
energies  were  absorbed  in  them.  He  was  nothing  out  of  that  sphere, 
because  he  was  every  thing  there.  The  extent  to  which  he  was  identi 
fied  with  the  country  is  unexampled  in  the  relations  of  individual  men 
to  the  community.  During  the  whole  period  of  his  life  he  was  the 
thinking  part  of  the  nation.  He  was  its  mind;  it  was  his  image  and 
illustration.  If  we  would  classify  and  measure  him,  it  must  be  with 
nations,  and  not  with  individuals. 

This  extraordinary  nature  of  Washington's  capacities — this  impos 
sibility  of  analyzing  and  understanding  the  elements  and  methods  of 
his  wisdom — have  led  some  persons  to  doubt  whether,  intellectually, 
he  was  of  great  superiority;  but  the  public — the  community — never 
doubted  of  the  transcendent  eminence  of  Washington's  abilities.  From 
the  first  moment  of  his  appearance  as  the  chief,  the  recognition  of 
him,  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  as  THE  MAN — the 


252  RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD. 

leader,  the  counsellor,  the  infallible  in  suggestion  and  in  conduct — 
was  immediate  and  universal.  From  that  moment  to  the  close  of  the 
scene,  the  national  confidence  in  his  capacity  was  as  spontaneous,  as 
enthusiastic,  as  immovable  as  it  was  in  his  integrity.  Particular  per 
sons,  affected  by  the  untoward  course  of  events,  sometimes  questioned 
his  sufficiency;  but  the  nation  never  questioned  it,  nor  would  allow  it 
to  be  questioned.  Neither  misfortune,  nor  disappointment,  nor  acci 
dents,  nor  delay,  nor  the  protracted  gloom  of  years,  could  avail  to 
disturb  the  public  trust  in  him.  It  was  apart  from  circumstances ;  it 
was  beside  the.  action  of  caprice;  it  was  beyond  all  visionary,  and 
above  all  changeable  feelings.  It  was  founded  on  nothing  extraneous; 
not  upon  what  he  had  said  or  done,  but  upon  what  he  was.  They 
saw  something  in  the  man,  which  gave  them  assurance  of  a  nature 
and  destiny  of  the  highest  elevation — something  inexplicable,  but 
which  inspired  a  complete  satisfaction.  We  feel  that  this  reliance  was 
wise  and  right;  but  why  it  was  felt,  or  why  it  was  right,  we  are  as 
much  to  seek  as  those  who  came  under  the  direct  impression  of  his 
personal  presence.  It  is  not  surprising,  that  the  world  recognizing  in 
this  man  a  nature  and  a  greatness  which  philosophy  cannot  explain, 
should  revere  him  almost  to  religion. 

The  distance  and  magnitude  of  those  objects  which  are  too  far 
above  us  to  be  estimated  directly — such  as  stars — are  determined  by 
their  parallax.  By  some  process  of  that  kind  we  may  form  an 
approximate  notion  of  Washington's  greatness.  We  may  measure 
him  against  the  great  events  in  which  he  moved;  and  against  the 
great  men,  among  whom,  and  above  whom,  his  figure  stood  like  a 
tower.  It  is  agreed  that  the  war  of  American  Independence  is  one 


RUFUS  W.  GR1SWOLD.  253 

of  the  most  exalted,  and  honourable,  and  difficult  achievements  related 
in  history.  Its  force  was  contributed  by  many;  but  its  grandeur  was 
derived  from  Washington.  His  character  and  wisdom  gave  unity, 
and  dignity,  and  effect  to  the  irregular,  and  often  divergent  enthusiasm 
of  others.  His  energy  combined  the  parts ;  his  intelligence  guided 
the  whole;  his  perseverance,  and  fortitude,  and  resolution,  were  the 
inspiration  and  support  of  all.  In  looking  back  over  that  period,  his 
presence  seems  to  fill  the  whole  scene;  his  influence  predominates 
throughout;  his  character  is  reflected  from  every  thing.  Perhaps 
nothing  less  than  his  immense  weight  of  mind  could  have  kept  the 
national  system,  at  home,  in  that  position  which  it  held,  immovably 
for  seven  years ;  perhaps  nothing  but  the  august  respectability  which 
his  demeanour  threw  around  the  American  cause  abroad,  would  have 
induced  a  foreign  nation  to  enter  into  an  equal  alliance  with  us  upon 
terms  that  contributed  in  a  most  important  degree  to  our  final  success, 
or  would  have  caused  Great  Britain  to  feel  that  no  great  indignity  was 
suffered  in  admitting  the  claim  to  national  existence  of  a  people  who 
had  such  a  representative  as  Washington.  What  but  the  most  eminent 
qualities  of  mind  and  feeling — discretion  superhuman — readiness  of 
invention,  and  dexterity  of  means,  equal  to  the  most  desperate  affairs — 
endurance,  self-control,  regulated  ardour,  restrained  passion,  caution 
mingled  with  boldness,  and  all  the  contrarieties  of  moral  excellence — 
could  have  expanded  the  life  of  an  individual  into  a  career  such  as 
this? 

If  we  compare  him  with  the  great  men  who  were  his  contempora 
ries  throughout  the  nation;  in  an  age  of  extraordinary  personages, 
Washington  was  unquestionably  the  first  man  of  the  time  in  ability. 


254 


RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD. 


Review  the  correspondence  of  General  Washington — that  sublime 
monument  of  intelligence  and  integrity — scrutinize  the  public  history 
and  the  public  men  of  that  era,  and  you  will  find  that  in  all  the  wisdom 
that  was  accomplished  or  was  attempted,  Washington  was  before  every 
man  in  his  suggestions  of  the  plan,  and  beyond  every  one  in  the 
extent  to  which  he  contributed  to  its  adoption.  In  the  field,  all  the 
able  generals  acknowledged  his  superiority,  and  looked  up  to  him  with 
loyalty,  reliance,  and  reverence;  the  others,  who  doubted  his  ability, 
or  conspired  against  his  sovereignty,  illustrated,  in  their  own  conduct, 
their  incapacity  to  be  either  his  judges  or  his  rivals.  In  the  state, 
Adams,  Jay,  Rutledge,  Pinckney,  Morris — these  are  great  names;  but 
there  is  not  one  whose  wisdom  does  not  vail  to  his?  His  superiority 
was  felt  by  all  these  persons,  and  was  felt  by  Washington  himself,  as  a 
simple  matter  of  fact,  as  little  a  subject  of  question,  or  a  cause  of  vanity, 
as  the  eminence  of  his  personal  stature.  His  appointment  as  com- 
mander-in-chief,  was  the  result  of  no  design  on  his  part,  and  of  no 
efforts  on  the  part  of  his  friends;  it  seemed  to  take  place  spontane 
ously.  He  moved  into  position,  because  there  was  a  vacuum  which 
no  other  could  supply;  in  it,  he  was  not  sustained  by  government,  by 
a  party,  or  by  connexions:  he  sustained  himself;  and  then  he  sus 
tained  every  thing  else.  He  sustained  Congress  against  the  army,' 
and  the  army  against  the  injustice  of  Congress.  The  brightest  mind 
among  his  contemporaries  was  Hamilton's;  a  character  which  cannot 
be  contemplated  without  frequent  admiration,  and  constant  affection. 
His  talents  took  the  form  of  genius,  which  Washington's  did  not. 
But  active,  various,  and  brilliant,  as  the  faculties  of  Hamilton  were, 
whether  viewed  in  the  precocity  of  youth,  or  in  the  all-accomplished 


RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD.  255 

elegance  of  maturer  life — lightning-quick  as  his  intelligence  was  to  see 
through  every  subject  that  came  before  it,  and  vigorous  as  it  was  in 
constructing  the  argumentation  by  which  other  minds  were  to  be  led, 
as  upon  a  shapely  bridge,  over  the  obscure  depths  across  which  his 
had  flashed  in  a  moment — fertile  and  sound  in  schemes,  ready  in  action, 
splendid  in  display,  as  he  was — nothing  is  more  obvious  and  certain 
than  that  when  Mr.  Hamilton  approached  Washington,  he  came  into 
the  presence  of  one  who  surpassed  him  in  the  extent,  in  the  compre 
hension,  the  elevation,  the  sagacity,  the  force,  and  the  ponderousness 
of  his  mind,  as  much  as  he  did  in  the  majesty  of  his  aspect,  and  the 
grandeur  of  his  step.  The  genius  of  Hamilton  was  a  flower,  which 
gratifies,  surprises,  and  enchants ;  the  intelligence  of  Washington  was 
a  stately  tree,  which  in  the  rarity  and  true  dignity  of  its  beauty  is  as 
superior,  as  it  is  in  its  dimensions-  *  *  *  * 

In  moral  qualities,  the  character  of  Washington  is  the  most  truly 
dignified  that  was  ever  presented  to  the  respect  and  admiration  of 
mankind.  He  was  one  of  the  few  entirely  good  men  in  whom  good 
ness  had  no  touch  of  weakness.  He  was  one  of  the  few  rigorously 
just  men  whose  justice  was  not  commingled  with  any  of  the  severity 
of  personal  temper.  The  elevation,  and  strength,  and  greatness  of  his 
feelings  were  derived  from  nature;  their  moderation  was  the  effect  of 
reflection  and  discipline.  His  temper,  by  nature,  was  ardent,  and 
inclined  to  action.  His  passions  were  quick,  and  capable  of  an  inten 
sity  of  motion,  which,  when  it  was  kindled  by  either  intellectual  or 
moral  indignation,  amounted  almost  to  fury.  But  how  rarely — how 
less  than  rarely — was  any  thing  of  this  kind  exhibited  in  his  public 
career!  How  restrained  from  all  excess  which  reason  could  reprove, 


256  RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD. 

or  virtue  condemn,  or  good  taste  reject,  were  these  earnest  impulses, 
in  the  accommodation  of  his  nature  to  "that  great  line  of  duty"  which 
he  had  set  up  as  the  course  of  his  life.  Seen  in  his  public  duties,  his 
attitude  and  character — the  one  elevated  above  familiarity,  the  other 
purged  of  all  littlenesses — present  a  position  and  an  image  almost 
purely  sublime. 

No  airy  and  light  passion  stirs  abroad 
To  ruffle  or  to  soothe  him ;  all  are  quelled 
Beneath  a  mightier,  sterner  stress  of  mind : 
Wakeful  he  sits,  and  lonely,  and  unmoved, 
Beyond  the  arrows,  views,  or  shouts  of  men ; 
As  oftentimes  an  eagle,  when  the  sun 
Throws  o'er  the  varying  earth  his  early  ray, 
Stands  solitary,  stands  immovable 
Upon  some  highest  cliff,  and  rolls  his  eye, 
Clear,  constant,  unobservant,  unabased, 
In  the  cold  light,  above  the  dews  of  morn. 

But  when  viewed  in  the  gentler  scenes  of  domestic  and  friendly 
relation,  there  are  traits  which  give  loveliness  to  dignity,  and  add  grace 
to  veneration;  like  the  leaves  and  twigs  which  cluster  around  the 
trunk  and  huge  branches  of  the  colossal  elm,  making  that  beautiful 
which  else  were  only  grand.  His  sentiments  were  quick  and  delicate; 
his  refinement  exquisite.  His  temper  was  as  remote  from  plebeian,  as 
his  principles  were  opposite  to  democratic.  If  his  public  bearing  had 
something  of  the  solemnity  of  puritanism,  the  sources  of  his  social 
nature  were  the  spirit  and  maxims  of  a  cavalier.  His  demeanour 
towards  all  men  illustrated,  in  every  condition,  that  "finest  sense  of 
justice  which  the  mind  can  form."  IN  ALL  THINGS  ADMIRABLE,  IN 

ALL  THINGS  TO  BE  IMITATED;  IN  SOME  THINGS  SCARCE  IMITABLE  AND 
ONLY  TO  BE  ADMIRED. 


RUFUS  W.  GRISWOLD.  257 

RUFUS  WILMOT  GRISWOLD,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Benson,  Rutland  County,  Vermont, 
February  15,  1815,  and  died  in  New  York,  August  27,  1857.  He  was  at  first  apprenticed  to 
a  printer,  but  studied  divinity,  and  became  a  Baptist  preacher.  He,  however,  soon  became 
associated  in  the  literary  management  of  a  number  of  journals  in  several  of  the  principal 
cities  of  the  Union,  and  in  1842-3  edited  Graham's  Magazine,  and  from  1850  to  1852  the 
International  Magazine,  in  New  York.  Dr.  Griswold  was  a  voluminous  writer.  "  Wash 
ington  and  the  Generals  of  the  American  Revolution,"  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1847, 
2  vols.,  I2mo,  was  edited  and  partly  written  by  him,  assisted  by  W.  G.  Simms,  E.  D.  Ingra- 
ham,  and  others.  The  sketch  of  Washington  in  Vol.  I,  from  which  we  make  the  extract,  is 
presumed  to  have  been  written  by  Griswold. 


33 


JOEL  T.  HEADLEY. 

1847- 

THE  crowning  glory  of  his  character  was  his  patriotism.  No 
man  ever  before  rose  out  of  the  mass  of  the  people  to  such  power 
without  abusing  it,  and  history  searches  in  vain  for  a  military  leader, 
so  much  of  whose  life  had  been  spent  in  the  camp,  and  whose  will 
was  law  to  a  grateful  nation,  who  voluntarily  resigned  his  rank  and 
chose  the  humble,  peaceful  occupation  of  a  farmer.  At  first  the 
nation,  jealous  of  its  liberties,  was  afraid  to  pass  so  much  power  into 
his  hands ;  but  it  soon  learned  that  he  watched  those  liberties  with  a 
more  anxious  eye  than  itself.  From  the  outset,  his  honor  and  his 
country  stood  foremost  in  his  affections;  the  first  he  guarded  with 
scrupulous  care,  and  for  the  last  he  offered  up  his  life  and  his  fortune. 
His  patriotism  was  so  pure,  so  unmixed  with  any  selfish  feeling,  that 
no  ingratitude,  or  suspicions  or  wrongs,  could  for  a  moment  weaken 
its  force.  It  was  like  the  love  of  a  father  for  his  son,  notwithstanding 
his  errors  and  disobedience,  and  who  bends  over  him  with  that 
yearning  affection  which  will  still  believe  and  hope  on  to  the  end. 
Men  have  been  found  who  would  sacrifice  their  lives  for  their  country, 
and  yet  would  not  submit  to  its  injustice  or  bear  with  its  ingratitude 
ignorance,  and  follies.  Many  have  been  astonished  at  the  confidence 
of  Washington  even  in  his  darkest  hours;  but  it  was  the  faith  of 
strong  love.  On  the  nation's  heart,  let  it  beat  never  so  wildly,  he 

leaned  in  solemn  trust.     *     *     *     * 
(258) 


JOEL  T.  HEADLEY.  259 

But  it  is  not  to  any  one  striking  quality  we  are  to  look  for  a 
true  exponent  of  Washington — it  is  to  the  harmonious  whole  his 
character  presented.  As  a  warrior  he  may  be  surpassed,  but  as  a 
complete  man,  he  is  without  a  parallel.  Equal  to  any  crisis,  suc 
cessful  in  all  he  undertakes,  superior  to  temptation,  faithful  in  every 
trial,  and  without  a  spot  on  his  name,  the  history  of  the  race  cannot 
match  him.  All  military  men  become  more  or  less  corrupted  by  a 
life  in  the  camp,  and  many  of  our  best  officers  were  demoralized;  but 
not  a  stain  clung  to  Washington.  Committing  his  cause  to  God 
before  battle,  and  referring  the  victory  to  Divine  goodness,  he  re 
mained  a  religious  man  through  a  life  on  the  tented  field. 

In  moral  elevation,  no  warrior  of  ancient  or  modern  times  ap 
proaches  him.  Given  to  no  excess  himself,  he  sternly  rebuked  it  in 
others.  The  principles  of  religion  were  deeply  engrafted  in  his  heart, 
and  as  there  was  no  stain  on  his  blade,  he  could  go  from  the  fierce- 
fought  field  to  the  sacramental  table.  That  brow  which  would  have 
awed  a  Roman  Senate  in  its  proudest  days,  bent  in  the  dust  before  his 
Maker.  In  the  darkest  night  of  adversity  he  leaned  in  solemn  faith 
on  Him  who  is  "mightier  than  the  mightiest."  As  I  see  him  moving 
through  the  wretched  hovels  of  Valley  Forge,  his  heart  wrung  at  the 
destitution  and  suffering  that  meet  his  eye  at  every  step,  slowly 
making  his  way  to  the  silent  forest,  and  there  kneel  in  prayer  in 
behalf  of  his  bleeding  country — that  voice  which  was  never  known  to 
falter  in  the  wildest  of  the  conflict,  choked  with  emotion — I  seem  to 
behold  one  on  whom  God  has  laid  his  consecrating  hand,  and  all 
doubts  and  fears  of  ultimate  success  vanish  like  morning  mist  before 
the  uprisen  sun.  There  is  no  slavish  fear  of  the  Deity,  which  formed 


260  JOEL  T.  HEADLEY. 

so  large  a  part  of  Cromwell's  religion,  mingled  in  that  devotion,  but 
an  unshaken  belief  in  Truth,  and  a  firm  reliance  on  heaven. 

A  Brutus  in  justice,  he  did  not  allow  personal  friendship  to  sway 
his  decision,  or  influence  him  in  the  bestowment  of  favors.  Fearing 
neither  the  carnage  of  battle  nor  the  hatred  of  men,  threats  moved 
him  no  more  than  flatteries;  and  what  is  stranger  still,  the  strong 
aversion  to  giving  pain  to  his  friends  never  swerved  him  from  the 
path  of  duty.  Sincere  in  all  his  declarations,  his  word  was  never 
doubted  and  his  promise  never  broken.  Intrusted  finally  with  almost 
supreme  power,  he  never  abused  it,  and  laid  it  down  at  last  more 
cheerfully  than  he  had  taken  it  up.  Bonaparte  vaulting  to  supreme 
command,  seized  it  with  avidity,  and  wielded  it  without  restraint. 
The  Directory  obstructing  his  plans,  he  broke  it  up  with  the  bayonet. 
Cromwell  did  the  same  with  the  Rump  Parliament,  and  installed  him 
self  Protector  of  England,  and  even  hesitated  long  about  the  title  of 
king.  Washington  fettered  worse  than  both,  submitted  to  disgrace 
and  defeat  without  using  even  a  disrespectful  word  to  Congress,  and 
rejected  the  offered  crown  with  a  sternness  and  indignation  that 
forever  crushed  the  hopes  of  those  who  presented  it.  Calm  and 
strong  in  council,  untiring  in  effort,  wise  in  policy,  terrible  as  a  storm 
in  battle,  unconquered  in  defeat,  and  incorruptible  in  virtue,  he  rises 
in  moral  grandeur  so  far  above  the  Alexanders,  and  Caesars,  and 
Napoleons  of  the  world,  that  even  comparison  seems  injustice.  *  *  *  * 

His  administration  was  distinguished  by  that  wisdom  and  virtue 
which  had  ever  characterized  him.  In  carrying  out  the  separate 
requirements  of  the  constitution,  he  was  governed  by  that  pure 
patriotism  which  is  bound  by  no  personal  feelings,  or  views  of  self- 


JOEL  T.  HEAD  LEV.  261 

aggrandizement.  Laboring  assiduously  to  master  both  home  and 
foreign  affairs,  he  succeeded  in  harmonizing  the  discordant  elements 
about  him,  and  made  his  government  steady  at  home  and  respected 
abroad.  In  forming  the  supreme  judiciary — filling  the  several  depart 
ments  of  state — in  establishing  a  national  bank — in  protecting  our 
frontiers  from  Indian  depredations,  and  in  developing  all  the  resources 
of  the  country,  he  showed  himself  to  be  the  greatest  statesman  of  the 
nation,  as  he  was  its  greatest  military  leader.  When  the  first  four 
years  of  his  administration  closed,  he  fondly  hoped  that  he  would  be 
permitted  to  retire  to  private  life ;  but  men  of  all  parties  who  cared  for 
their  country,  felt  that  his  commanding  influence  and  wisdom  were 
indispensable  in  order  to  fix  firmly  and  forever  that  which  he  had  only 
settled  into  repose ;  and  declaring  that,  if  he  should  not  remain,  the 
tottering  fabric  would  fall,  they  with  one  voice  besought  him,  by  all 
that  was  dear  to  him  in  the  Union,  to  serve  another  term.  They  knew 
that  Washington's  only  weak  side  was  his  patriotism,  and  this  they 
plied  with  all  the  arguments  they  knew  so  well  how  to  use.  Though 
he  had  reached  his  threescore  years,  and  pined  for  the  rest  of  a  quiet 
home,  he  again  took  on  him  the  burdens  of  office.  The  nation  pros 
pered  under  his  rule.  Words  of  wisdom  and  piety  dropped  from  his 
lips,  and  stretching  out  his  arms  over  the  Union,  both  the  foundation 
and  topmost  stone  of  which  he  had  laid,  he  gave  it  his  last  blessing. 
Had  his  counsels  been  obeyed,  and  all  his  successors  followed  in  his 
footsteps,  this  nation  would  not  only  have  stood  first  among  the 
powers  of  the  earth,  but  been  the  especial  favorite  of  heaven.  *  *  *  * 
No  one,  in  tracing  the  history  of  our  struggle,  can  deny  that 
Providence  watched  over  our  interests,  and  gave  us  the  only  man  who 


262  JOEL  T.  HEADLEY. 

could  haye  conducted  the  car  of  the  Revolution  to  the  goal  it  finally 
reached.  Our  revolution  brought  to  a  speedy  crisis  the  one  that  must 
sooner  or  later  have  convulsed  France.  One  was  as  much  needed  as 
the  other,  and  has  been  productive  of  equal  good.  But  in  tracing  the 
progress  of  each,  how  striking  is  the  contrast  between  the  instruments 
employed — Napoleon  and  Washington.  Heaven  and  earth  are  not 
wider  apart  than  were  their  moral  characters,  yet  both  were  sent  of 
Heaven  to  perform  a  great  work;  God  acts  on  more  enlarged  plans 
than  the  bigoted  and  ignorant  have  any  conception  of,  and  adapts  his 
instruments  to  the  work  he  wishes  to  accomplish.  To  effect  the 
regeneration  of  a  comparatively  religious,  virtuous  and  intelligent 
people,  no  better  man  could  have  been  selected  than  Washington. 
To  rend  asunder  the  feudal  system  of  Europe,  which  stretched  like 
an  iron  frame-work  over  the  people,  and  had  rusted  so  long  in  its 
place,  that  no  slow  corrosion  or  steadily  wasting  power  could  affect 
its  firmness,  there  could  have  been  found  no  better  than  Bonaparte. 
Their  missions  were  as  different  as  their  characters.  Had  Bonaparte 
been  put  in  the  place  of  Washington,  he  would  have  overthrown  the 
Congress,  as  he  did  the  Directory,  and  taking  supreme  power  into  his 
hands,  developed  the  resources,  and  kindled  the  enthusiasm  of  this 
country  with  such  astonishing  rapidity,  that  the  war  would  scarcely 
have  begun  ere  it  was  ended.  But  a  vast  and  powerful  monarchy 
instead  of  a  republic,  would  have  occupied  this  continent.  Had 
Washington  been  put  in  the  place  of  Bonaparte,  his  transcendent 
virtues  and  unswerving  integrity  would  not  have  prevailed  against 
the  tyranny  of  faction,  and  a  prison  would  have  received  him,  as  it  did 
Lafayette.  Both  were  children  of  a  revolution,  both  rose  to  the  chief 


JOEL  T.  HEADLEY.  263 

command  of  the  army,  and  eventually  to  the  head  of  a  nation.  One 
led  his  country  step  by  step  to  freedom  and  prosperity,  the  other 
arrested  at  once,  and  with  a  strong  hand,  the  earthquake  that  was 
rocking  France  asunder,  and  sent  it  rolling  under  the  thrones  of 
Europe.  The  office  of  one  was  to  defend  and  build  up  Liberty,  that 
of  the  other  to  break  down  the  prison  walls  in  which  it  lay  a  cap 
tive,  and  rend  asunder  its  century-bound  fetters.  To  suppose  that 
France  could  have  been  managed  as  America  was,  by  any  human 
hand,  shows  an  ignorance  as  blind  as  it  is  culpable.  That,  and,  every 
other  country  of  Europe  will  have  to  pass  through  successive  stages 
before  they  can  reach  the  point  at  which  our  revolution  commenced. 
Here  Liberty  needed  virtue  and  patriotism,  as  well  as  strength — on 
the  continent  it  needed  simple  power,  concentrated  and  terrible  power. 
Europe  at  this  day  trembles  over  that  volcano  Napoleon  kindled, 
and  the  next  eruption  will  finish  what  he  begun.  Thus  does  Heaven, 
selecting  its  own  instruments,  break  up  the  systems  of  oppression 
men  deemed  eternal,  and  out  of  the  power  and  ambition,  as  well  as 
out  of  the  virtues  of  men,  work  the  welfare  of  our  race. 


JOEL  TYLER  HEADLEY  was  born  at  Walton,  Delaware  County,  New  York,  December 
30,  1814,  and  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1839.  He  studied  at  the  Auburn  Theological 
Seminary,  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  was  pastor  for  two  years  of  a  church  at  Stockbridge, 
Mass.  Compelled  by  ill-health  to  abandon  his  profession,  he  travelled  in  Europe  in  1842-3, 
and  upon  his  return,  published  his  travels  in  two  volumes.  He  is  the  author  of  numerous 
works.  "Washington  and  his  Generals,"  from  which  we  make  the  extract,  was  published 
at  New  York  in  1847.  2  vols.,  I2mo. 


ROBERT  C.  WINTHROP. 

1848. 

IT  is,  however,  the  character  of  Washington,  and  not  the  mere 
part  which  he  played,  which  I  would  hold  up  this  day  to  the  world  as 
worthy  of  endless  and  universal  commemoration.  The  highest  official 
distinctions  may  be  enjoyed,  and  the  most  important  public  services 
rendered,  by  men  whose  lives  will  not  endure  examination.  It  is  the 
glory  of  Washington,  that  the  virtues  of  the  man  outshone  even  the 
brilliancy  of  his  acts,  and  that  the  results  which  he  accomplished  were 
only  the  legitimate  exemplifications  of  the  principles  which  he  pro 
fessed  and  cherished. 

In  the  whole  history  of  the  world  it  may  be  doubted  whether  any 
man  can  be  found,  who  has  exerted  a  more  controlling  influence  over 
men  and  over  events  than  George  Washington.  To  what  did  he  owe 
that  influence?  How  did  he  win,  how  did  he  wield,  that  magic  power, 
that  majestic  authority,  over  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  countrymen 
and  of  mankind?  In  what  did  the  power  of  Washington  consist? 

It  was  not  the  power  of  vast  learning  or  varied  acquirements.  He 
made  no  pretensions  to  scholarship,  and  had  no  opportunity  for  exten 
sive  reading. 

It   was   not   the   power  of  sparkling   wit  or   glowing  rhetoric. 
Though  long  associated  with  deliberative  bodies,  he  never  made  a 
set  speech  in  his  life,  nor  ever  mingled  in  a  stormy  debate. 
(264) 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  265 

It  was  not  the  power  of  personal  fascination.  There  was  little 
about  him  of  that  gracious  affability  which  sometimes  lends  such 
resistless  attraction  to  men  of  commanding  position.  His  august 
presence  inspired  more  of  awe  than  of  affection,  and  his  friends, 
numerous  and  devoted  as  they  were,  were  bound  to  him  rather  by  ties 
of  respect  than  of  love. 

It  was  not  the  power  of  a  daring  and  desperate  spirit  of  heroic 
adventure.  "If  I  ever  said  so,"  replied  Washington,  when  asked 
whether  he  had  said  that  there  was  something  charming  in  the  sound 
of  a  whistling  bullet;  "if  I  ever  said  so,  it  was  when  I  was  young." 
He  had  no  passion  for  mere  exploits.  He  sought  no  bubble  reputa 
tion  in  the  cannon's  mouth.  With  a  courage  never  questioned,  and 
equal  to  every  exigency,  he  had  yet  "a  wisdom  which  did  guide  his 
valor  to  act  in  safety." 

In  what,  then,  did  the  power  of  Washington  consist?  When 
Patrick  Henry  returned  home  from  the  first  Continental  Congress,  and 
was  asked  who  was  the  greatest  man  in  that  body,  he  replied:  "If  you 
speak  of  eloquence,  Mr.  Rutledge,  of  South  Carolina,  is  the  greatest 
orator;  but  if  you  speak  of  solid  information  and  sound  judgment, 
Colonel  Washington  is  by  far  the  greatest  man  on  that  floor." 

When,  fifteen  years  earlier,  Washington,  at  the  close  of  the 
French  war,  took  his  seat,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  House  of  Burgesses 
of  Virginia,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  was  presented  to  him  for  his  military 
services  to  the  Colony,  his  hesitation  and  embarrassment  were  relieved 
by  the  Speaker,  who  said,  "Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington;  your  modesty 
equals  your  valor,  and  that  surpasses  the  power  of  any  language  that 
I  possess." 
34 


266  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

But  it  was  not  solid  information,  or  sound  judgment,  or  even  that 
rare  combination  of  surpassing  modesty  and  valor,  great  as  these 
qualities  are,  which  gave  Washington  such  a  hold  on  the  regard, 
respect,  and  confidence  of  the  American  people.  I  hazard  nothing  in 
saying  that  it  was  the  high  moral  element  of  his  character,  which 
imparted  to  it  its  preponderating  force.  His  incorruptible  honesty, 
his  uncompromising  truth,  his  devout  reliance  on  God,  the  purity  of 
his  life,  the  scrupulousness  of  his  conscience,  the  disinterestedness  of 
his  purposes,  his  humanity,  generosity,  and  justice, — these  were  the 
ingredients  which,  blending  harmoniously  with  solid  information  and 
sound  judgment  and  a  valor  only  equalled  by  his  modesty,  made  up  a 
character  to  which  the  world  may  be  fearlessly  challenged  for  a  parallel. 

"  Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your  breast  that  little  spark  of  celestial 
fire,  conscience"  was  one  of  a  series  of  maxims  which  Washington 
framed  or  copied  for  his  own  use  when  a  boy.  His  rigid  adherence  to 
principle;  his  steadfast  discharge  of  duty;  his  utter  abandonment  of 
self;  his  unreserved  devotion  to  whatever  interests  were  committed  to 
his  care, — attest  the  more  than  vestal  vigilance  with  which  he 
observed  that  maxim.  He  kept  alive  that  spark.  He  made  it  shine 
before  men.  He  kindled  it  into  a  flame  which  illumined  his  whole 
life.  No  occasion  was  so  momentous,  no  circumstances  so  minute,  as 
to  absolve  him  from  following  its  guiding  ray.  *  *  * 

The  Republic  may  perish ;  the  wide  arch  of  our  ranged  Union 
may  fall;  star  by  star  its  glories  may  expire;  stone  after  stone  its 
columns  and  its  capitol  may  moulder  and  crumble ;  all  other  names 
which  adorn  its  annals  may  be  forgotten;  but  as  long  as  human  hearts 
shall  anywhere  pant,  or  human  tongues  shall  any  where  plead,  for  a 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  267 

true,  rational,  constitutional  liberty,  those  hearts  shall  enshrine  the 
memory,  and  those  tongues  prolong  the  fame,  of  GEORGE  WASHINGTON  ! 


EXTRACT  from  "An  oration  pronounced  by  the  Honorable  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1848,  on  the 
occasion  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  National  Monument  to  the  Memory  of  Washing 
ton.  "t  8vo,  pp.  36.  Washington:  1848.  By  a  joint  resolution  of  Congress  approved  May 
13,  1884,  the  delivery  of  the  oration  on  the  completion  of  the  Monument,  was  also  assigned 
to  Mr.  Winthrop,  and  although  far  advanced  in  his  seventy-sixth  year,  he  had  substantially 
prepared  what  he  proposed  to  say,  but  falling  dangerously  ill  of  pneumonia,  two  months  before 
the  appointed  time,  his  recovery  was  too  slow  to  admit  of  the  delivery  of  his  oration  in  person. 
It  was  however  read  for  him  by  the  Hon.  John  Davis  Long,  late  Governor  of  Massachusetts, 
and  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States.  The  time  fixed  by  the 
resolution  of  Congress  for  the  ceremonies,  was  the  twenty-second  of  February,  1885,  but  that 
day  occurring  on  Sunday,  they  were  held  on  Saturday  the  twenty-first.  The  cap-stone  of  the 
monument  was  set  December  6,  1884.  Extracts  from  this  oration  will  be  found  at  the  end  of 
the  volume. 


RICHARD  HILDRETH. 

1851. 

THE  sudden  death  of  Washington  almost  entirely  swept  away,  at 
least  for  the  moment,  those  feelings  of  suspicion  with  which  a  portion 
of  the  Republican  party,  especially  of  the  leaders,  had  begun  to  regard 
him — now  that  he  was  dead,  all  zealously  united  to  do  him  honor. 

Rare  man  indeed  he  was  among  actors  on  the  military  and 
political  stage,  possessing  in  the  highest  degree  the  most  imposing 
qualities  of  a  great  leader — deliberate  and  cautious  wisdom  in  judging, 
promptitude  and  energy  in  acting,  a  steady,  firm,  indomitable  spirit, 
such  as  men  love  to  cling  to  and  rely  upon;  more  than  all,  an  unsul 
lied  integrity,  and  a  sincere  and  disinterested  devotion  to  his  country's 
cause,  such,  indeed,  as  many  public  men,  or  their  followers  for  them, 
pretend  to,  but  the  credit  of  which  very  few  get  and  still  fewer  deserve. 
History  records  many  names  that  dazzle  the  imagination  with  a 
greater  brilliancy,  but  few,  indeed,  that  shine  with  a  light  so  pure, 
steady,  permanent,  penetrating,  and  serene.  Washington's  character 
and  reputation,  as  contrasted  with  those  of  many  other  famous  men, 
seem  to  resemble  in  effect  the  Doric  architecture  as  compared  with 
the  Gothic  and  Oriental  styles.  Those  styles  often  excite,  especially 
in  minds  peculiarly  liable  to  vivid  impressions,  the  most  enthusiastic 
pitch  of  admiration,  appealing,  as  they  do,  not  alone  or  chiefly  to  the 
sentiment  of  the  beautiful,  but  to  the  powerful  emotions,  also,  of 
(268) 


RICHARD  HILDRETH.  269 

surprise  and  wonder,  growing  out  of  novelty,  variety,  complication, 
and  vastness.  But  these  are  emotions,  especially  if  we  take  into 
account  the  mass  of  men  and  succeeding  generations,  liable  to  great 
fluctuations,  often  subsiding  into  indifference,  sometimes  sinking  into 
contempt;  while  the  serener  sentiments,  always  and  every  where 
inspired  by  majesty,  order,  proportion,  grace  and  fitness,  are  not  less 
steady,  universal,  and  enduring  than  the  perceptions  from  which  they 
spring. 


RICHARD  HILDRETH  was  born  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  June  28,  1807,  and  died  at  Florence, 
Italy,  July  1 1,  1865.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1826,  studied  law  at  Newburyport, 
and  practised  in  Boston  until  he  began  in  1832,  to  edit  the  Boston  Atlas.  He  abandoned 
journalism  in  1840.  His  principal  work  is,  "The  History  of  the  United  States  of  America." 
New  York,  1849-52,  6  vols.,  8vo.,  from  Vol.  V.  of  which  we  quote. 


JOHN   J.   CRITTENDEN. 

1852. 

THE  character  of  Washington  has  ascended  above  the  ordinary 
language  of  eulogy.  A  Caesar,  a  Napoleon,  a  Cromwell  may  excite 
the  applause  of  the  world,  and  inflame  the  passions  of  men,  by  the 
story  of  their  fields  and  their  fame;  but  the  name  of  Washington 
occupies  a  different,  a  serener,  a  calmer,  a  more  celestial  sphere.  There 
is  not  in  his  character,  and  there  is  not  about  his  name,  any  of  that 
turbulence,  and  excitement,  and  glare,  which  constitute  glory,  in  the 
vulgar  and  worldly  sense  of  the  term.  His  name  has  sunk  deep  into  the 
hearts  of  mankind,  and  more  especially  has  it  sunk  deep  into  the  mind 
and  heart  of  America,  and  in  that  secret  and  inner  temple  it  will  reside, 
without  any  of  the  forms  of  ostentatious  idolatry.  It  resides  in  the 
inner  recesses  of  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen;  and,  like  an  oracle,  is 
continually  whispering  lessons  of  patriotism  and  of  virtue.  He  never 
sought  or  asked  for  what  men  call  glory.  He  sought  to  serve  his 
kind  and  his  country,  by  his  beneficence  and  his  virtues,  and  he  found 
in  that  service,  and  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  that  only  and  that 
richest  reward  which  can  recompense  the  patriot  and  the  statesman. 
That  was  our  Washington.  Let  all  the  rest  of  the  world  present  any 
thing  like  his  parallel. 

The  verdict  of  mankind  has  already  assigned  to  him  a  pre-eminent 

and  solitary  grandeur.     In  him,  all  the  virtues  seem  to  be  combined 

in  the  fairest  proportions.     The  elements  were  so  mixed  in  him,  and 

his  blood  and  judgment  were  so   commingled,  that  all   the  virtues 

(270) 


JOHN  J.   CRITTENDEN.  271 


seemed  to  be  the  natural  result,  and  to  flow  spontaneously  from  the 
combination,  as  water  from  the  purest  fountain.  In  him,  the  exercise 
of  the  most  exalted  virtue  required  no  exertion ;  it  was  a  part,  a  parcel 
of  his  nature,  and  of  the  glorious  organization  "to  which  every  God 
had  seemed  to  set  his  seal."  Where  was  there  any  error  in  him?  He 
was  a  man ;  and  therefore,  in  all  humility,  we  who  share  that  humanity 
must  acknowledge  that  he  had  his  imperfections;  but  who,  through 
his  long  and  eventful  life,  can  point  to  an  error  or  to  a  vice  committed, 
or  a  duty  omitted  ? 

His  character  was  made  up  and  compounded,  of  all  the  virtues 
that  constitute  the  hero,  patriot,  statesman,  and  benefactor,  and  all 
his  achievements  were  but  the  practical  developments  of  that  character 
and  of  those  virtues.  He  was  the  same  everywhere — in  the  camp,  in 
the  cabinet,  at  Mount  Vernon.  No  difference  could  be  distinguished 
anywhere.  His  greatness  was  of  that  innate  and  majestic  character 
that  was  present  with  him  everywhere.  It  was  that  which  gave  him 
his  dignity,  and  not  the  occasional  situations  or  offices  which  he  held 
under  the  Government.  He  dignified  office — he  elevated  the  highest 
rank,  military  or  civil,  which  he  ever  held.  No  rank,  military  or 
civil,  ever  raised  him,  or  could  come  up  to  that  majesty  of  character 
which  the  God  of  his  nature  had  implanted  in  him.  That  was  our 
Washington. 

JOHN  JORDAN  CRITTENDEN  was  Lorn  in  Woodford  County,  Kentucky,  September  10, 
1786,  and  died  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  July  26,  1863.  After  studying  law  he  entered  the  State 
Legislature,  and  was  subsequently  elected  United  States  Senator  for  several  terras.  He  was 
appointed  attorney  general  by  President  Harrison,  but  resigned  September,  1841,  and  was 
appointed  again  to  the  same  office  by  President  Fillmore  in  1850,  being  at  that  time 
Governor  of  his  native  State.  Our  extract  is  from  some  remarks  at  a  Congressional  celebra 
tion  of  Washington's  birthday,  at  the  seat  of  Government,  Saturday,  February  21,  1852. 


CAROLINE  M.  KIRKLAND. 
1856. 

BUT  to  record  all  the  praises  of  Washington,  would  be  a  hopeless 
task.  Friends  and  enemies  concur  in  representing  him — the  former 
in  their  enthusiasm,  the  latter  in  their  forced  admissions,  as  the  greatest 
and  best  of  men. 

So  just,  so  wise,  so  beneficial,  so  far  above  the  tone  of  vulgar 
heroes,  was  the  Father  of  our  Country,  that  but  a  small  proportion  of 
what  is  interesting  about  him,  can  be  given  in  any  book.  His  praise 
is  everywhere ;  he  has  no  competitors,  he  stands  alone.  We  Ameri 
cans  should  strive  to  know  him,  and  we  cannot  be  grateful  enough  to 
the  kind  Providence  that  guarded  our  national  infancy,  for  providing 
a  father  whom  we  need  not  fear  to  search  out,  and  whom  in  all  things 
we  may  be  proud  to  imitate. 

A  true  warrior,  yet  no  Napoleon,  he  bore  the  sword  with  hands 
unsoiled,  wielded  it  for  peace  and  not  for  conquest,  laid  it  down  more 
gladly  than  he  took  it  up,  and  used  it  to  make  friends  even  of  his 
enemies. 

History,  which  shows  us  many  a  more  dazzling  character,  shows 
none  so  grandly  consistent,  so  splendid  in  disinterestedness,  so  free 
from  conceit,  yet  so  determined  in  duty,  so  true  and  tender  in  friend 
ship,  yet  able  to  put  aside  every  personal  consideration  when  the  good 
of  the  country  and  the  great  cause  of  Freedom  were  in  question. 
(272) 


CAROLINE  M.  KIRKLAND.  273 

What  manner  of  people  ought  we  to  be  in  return  for  this  great  gift  ? 
Let  us  bless  God  that  America,  having  produced  one  such  son,  may 
bring  forth  others  like  him,  when  the  day  of  trial  shall  come,  as  it 
may  come,  even  to  us,  favored  as  we  are  above  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  There  is  more  hope,  not  less,  of  another  Washington,  from 
having  had  the  first. 

We  say  of  a  great  genius,  like  Shakespeare  or  Raphael,  that  he 
is  inimitable.  But  Washington  was  not  a  genius  in  the  ordinary 
acceptation  of  that  term.  His  perfections,  the  growth  of  nature,  cir 
cumstances  and  God's  aid  and  favor  combined,  are  imitable ;  on  an 
humbler  scale. 

Resolute  integrity,  indefatigable  industry,  the  power  of  deferring 
self  to  duty,  a  feeling  of  true  brotherhood  towards  mankind,  and  a 
sincere  and  habitual  desire  to  co-operate  with  God  in  doing  good  to 
the  world,  may  make  many  a  Washington  that  the  world  will  never 
hear  of;  not  in  man's  judgment,  perhaps,  but  to  the  All-seeing  eye, 
and  to  the  conscious  heart  of  him  who  is  able  to  devote  himself,  as 
Washington  did,  soul  and  body,  heart  and  life,  to  truth,  service,  and 
duty. 

CAROLINE  MATILDA  KIRKLAND  (Miss  Stansbury),  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan 
uary,  1 80 1,  and  died  there  April  6,  1864.  Her  husband,  William  Kirkland,  was  a  professor 
at  Hamilton  College,  and  subsequently  established  a  seminary  in  Goshen  on  Seneca  Lake. 
We  quote  from  her  "  Memoirs  of  Washington,"  published  at  New  York  in  1856.  I2mo. 


35 


GEORGE  W.   BETHUNE. 

1856. 

'  THUS  vividly  reminded  of  him  amidst  the  associations  of  this 
day* — the  anniversary  of  our  country's  birth — it  becomes  us  to  medi 
tate  with  adoring  thanks  on  the  wise  goodness  of  God  in  the  gift 
of  Washington.  The  value  of  that  gift  cannot  be  over  estimated, 
bestowed  as  it  was  at  the  very  outset  of  our  national  existence.  The 
long  vexed  question — whether  in  great  crises  of  human  affairs  cir 
cumstances  make  the  men,  or  men  the  circumstances — can  never  be 
settled,  because  each  proposition  is  partly,  but  neither  wholly,  true. 
God  makes  both.  Ordaining  the  event,  he  ordains  the  means  and 
the  instruments.  The  pious  reason  which  ascribes  to  divine  will  the 
formation  of  the  American  people  and  our  unprecedented  system  of 
government,  finds  constant  cause  for  wonder  in  observing  the  method 
and  the  agents,  their  fitness  to  each  other  and  adaptedness  to  the 
result,  that  were  employed  by  Providence  throughout  the  long, 
painful  travail;  but  in  nothing  so  much  as  the  raising  up  of  that 
elect  man.  I  speak  not  now  of  his  heroic  patience  and  successes,  or 
of  his  far-sighted,  clear-headed  counsels,  but  of  the  elements,  and 
especially  of  their  unique  combination,  constituting  the  character 
from  which  flowed  out  his  deeds  and  his  teachings.  That  character 
who  can  describe?  Eulogy  is  impossible;  the  superlatives  which 

*  July  4,  1856.— ED. 
(274) 


GEORGE  W.  BETHUNE.  275 

serve  for  the  best  of  ordinary  humanity  are  too  weak.  Comparison 
with  the  most  illustrious  instances  recorded  by  uninspired  pens,  shock 
us  like  impertinence.  History  has  not  dared  to  paint  him.  Delight 
ing  to  trace  the  features  of  her  subjects,  too  often  overlooking  the 
minor  lineaments,  and  shrouding  her  heroes  in  a  blaze  of  splendor 
lest  we  should  observe  too  closely,  when  she  gazes  on  Washington, 
drops  her  pencil.  Whence  shall  she  assemble  her  colors !  How 
blend  them  in  adequate  keeping !  Where  presume  to  shade  a  con 
trast!  Her  skill  is  vain.  She  seizes  the  silver  mirror  of  truth, 
catches  his  full  reflection,  and  God's  own  sunlight  fixes  it  there,  so 
just,  so  exquisite,  that  the  most  microscopic  scrutiny  sees  only  new 
beauties  the  more  intimate  the  perception.  Oh,  for  the  same  divine 
power  to  impress  that  image  on  every  American  heart! 

Searching  through  the  classic  ages  we  discover  here  and  there 
a  name  distinguished  by  one  or  more  of  those  commanding  qualities 
which  belong  to  Washington.  Fabius,  Cato,  Scipio  Africanus,  Epami- 
nondas,  Cincinnatus,  rise  to  our  minds  as  we  contemplate  him  at 
different  moments;  but  the  likenessess  are  very  partial,  and  their 
lack  of  other  attributes  which  he  had  is  the  more  striking.  In  him 
nothing  is  wanting;  yet  it  is  not  the  parts,  but  the  parts  articulated 
as  a  whole,  that  give  him  his  serene  grandeur.  Nor  may  we  adopt 
the  Greek's  eclectic  expedient,  and  unite  in  him  what  is  admirable  in 
each  of  all  the  others,  for  then  should  we  miss  the  relative  degrees  in 
which  the  Almighty  hand  moulded  his  peculiar  symmetry.  Of  the 
few  who  have  arisen  from  among  the  people -to  control  important 
popular  revolutions,  Washington  alone  has  the  honor  of  having  estab 
lished  free  principles  and  of  having  perpetuated  his  work.  The 
power  of  the  rest  ceased  with  their  life-time,  if  it  lasted  so  long. 


276  GEORGE  W.  BETHUNE. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  BETHUNE,  D.D.,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  March,  1805. 
A  graduate  of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  1825,  he  entered  the  Presbyterian 
ministry  in  1826,  but  passed  to  that  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  the  following  year.  He  settled 
first  at  Rhinebeck  on  the  Hudson,  then  in  Utica;  in  Philadelphia  in  1834,  and  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  1849-59.  ^e  preached  for  a  time  in  the  American  Chapel  at  Rome  (1859-60),  then 
became  associate  pastor  of  a  church  in  New  York,  but  was  forced  by  ill  health  to  return  to 
Italy,  and  died  at  Florence,  April  28,  1862.  Dr.  Bethune  was  an  accomplished  scholar,  a 
learned  divine,  and  an  eloquent  preacher.  Our  extract  is  from  his  address  delivered  July  4, 
1856,  at  the  unveiling  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  Washington  by  Henry  K.  Brown,  Union 
Square,  New  York. 


GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE. 

1856. 

EXTRACT  FROM  A  NOTICE  OF  VOLUMES  I,  II  AND  III,  OF  IRVING'S  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 
IN  THE  GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE,  Nov.  1856. 

IT  is,  indeed  impossible  to  reflect  upon  the  odds  against  them 
(the  Americans)  in  the  unequal  conflict  they  engaged  in,  without  a 
feeling  of  surprise,  not  simply  at  their  ultimate  success,  but  even  at 
the  fact  of  their  being  able  to  prolong  the  struggle  through  a  single 
year.  And  it  is  just  as  impossible  to  doubt,  that,  more  than  once 
during  the  long  interval  between  the  evacuation  of  Boston  and  the 
surrender  of  Cornwallis,  the  freedom  that  his  countrymen  were  striving 
for  was  saved  by  Washington  alone.  His  military  skill,  alone,  was  an 
inestimable  assistance  to  their  cause.  He  has  been  often  called  the 
American  Fabius,  but  he  was,  when  occasion  served  the  American 
Marcellus  also.  His  cautious  policy  was  often  forced  upon  him  by 
the  necessity  of  holding  in  check,  with  means  wretchedly  inadequate, 
the  well-appointed  armies  which  were  opposed  to  him ;  and  it  is  only 
by  bearing  this  in  mind — by  remembering  that  the  troops  which  he 
commanded  were  exposed,  in  turn,  to  almost  every  mode  of  hardship 
and  privation;  that  they  were  often  barefooted,  starving,  and  half- 
clothed;  that  they  were  sometimes  destitute  of  tents  and  engineers, 
and  sorely  enough  pinched  for  arms  and  ammunition;  and  that  the 

(277) 


2;8  GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE. 

only  abundance  ever  found  within  the  camp  was  that  of  zealous,  strong, 
and  brave  men, — that  we  can  form  to  ourselves  any  just  conception  of 
the  comprehensiveness  of  that  ability  for  war  which  enabled  Washing 
ton,  under  all  these  disadvantages,  to  baffle  the  finest  armies  and  the 
ablest  generals  England  could  send  out,  skillfully  retreating  from  them 
when  he  could  not  fight,  and  fighting  well  whenever  he  could  find  a 
favourable  chance;  to  take  our  best  commanders  by  surprise  in  the 
very  moments  of  their  premature  triumph;  and  finally  to  teach  our 
rulers,  by  the  bitter  lesson  of  two  armies  surrendering  without  a  blow, 
the  uselessness  of  any  further  efforts  to  subdue  the  nation  which  they 
had  provoked  into  resistance  by  oppression  and  misrule. 

But  more  valuable  even  than  this  military  genius  was  that  unyield 
ing  spirit  which  animated  Washington  himself,  and  with  which  he 
inspired  both  the  Congress  and  the  people.  The  great  practical  truth 
which  a  modern  dramatist  teaches  from  the  lips  of  the  younger  of  the 
Gracchi,  that — 

" the  brave  man  ne'er  despairs, 


And  lives  where  cowards  die," 

was  never  better  instanced  than  in  this  illustrious  example.  His  calm, 
invincible  reliance  on  the  ultimate  success  of  the  confederate  States 
never  waned  or  wavered  in  the  darkest  fortunes  they  were  doomed  to 
undergo.  In  the  worst  emergencies  which  he  experienced,  his  com 
munications  with  Congress — however  urgent  in  their  tone  of  recom 
mendation,  or  remonstrance,  or  appeal — still  breathed  a  hopefulness 
which  the  governing  body  caught  from  him,  and  which  they  responded 
to,  in  spite  of  factious  efforts  which  were  not  wanting  even  there,  with 
constant  confidence  and  love.  The  same  animating  influence  seems  to 


GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE.  279 

have  fallen  like  a  refreshing  dew,  upon  those  whom  business  drew 
about  him.  The  people  themselves  looked  to  him  with  a  steady  trust 
which  lent  alacrity  to  their  exertions,  and  made  the  hardest  measures 
of  privation  more  endurable  when  he  was  known  to  sanction  or  advise 
them.  This  was  the  unavoidable  result  of  his  unimpeachable,  but  yet 
commanding,  character;  and  if  he  had  done  nothing  more  than  this — 
if  he  had  merely  kept  alive  the  sturdy  resolution  which  first  shewed 
itself  at  Lexington  and  Bunker's  Hill — if,  after  teaching  Congress  what 
the  sacrifices  were  that  America  was  bound  to  make,  and  training  the 
Americans  to  make  them,  he  had  left  it  to  some  other  benefactor  to 
command  the  armies  he  had  called  into  the  field,  and  to  lead  them  on 
to  victory  and  independence — the  enduring  gratitude  of  his  country 
men  would  still  have  been  his  due.  But  when  it  is  remembered  that 
these  distinct  services  of  encouragement,  and  counsel,  and  defence 
were  conferred  by  one  man ;  and  that  he  with  a  virtue  hardly  ever 
paralleled  amongst  the  great  generals  who  have  had  at  their  command 
the  means  of  ruling  nations  they  have  freed,  permitted  no  personal 
ambition  to  grow  up  out  of  his  labours,  and  sought  from  them  no 
advantages  that  were  not  common  to  him  with  the  meanest  citizen  of 
the  States ;  we  are  tempted  to  exclaim  with  the  poet, — 

"  How  shall  we  rank  thee  upon  glory's  page ! 
Thou  more  than  soldier !  and  just  less  than  sage  ! 
All  that  thou  art  reflects  less  fame  on  thee, 
Far  less,  than  all  thou  "bask  forborne  to  be  !  " 


GEORGE  TUCKER. 

1857- 

IN  less  than  a  fortnight  after  the  meeting  of  Congress,  it  received 
the  distressing  intelligence  of  Washington's  death,  after  a  short  illness, 
brought  on  by  exposure  to  a  cold  rain.  He  died  on  the  fourteenth 
of  December  (1799).  Both  Houses  adjourned  when  the  intelligence 
was  first  received ;  and  the  next  day  General  Marshall,  after  a  brief, 
but  comprehensive  eulogy  on  Washington,  offered  three  resolutions : 
That  the  House  wait  upon  the  President  to  condole  with  him  on  the 
occasion;  that  its  members  and  officers  wear  mourning  the  remainder 
of  the  session :  and  that  a  joint  committee  of  both  Houses  be  appointed 
to  pay  due  honors  to  the  memory  of  the  man  who  was  "first  in  war, 
first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen;"  and,  lastly, 
that  the  House  adjourn  to  the  succeeding  Monday:  which  were 
unanimously  adopted. 

General  Henry  Lee,  one  of  the  members  from  Virginia,  was 
appointed  to  deliver  an  oration  to  the  Houses ;  and  by  another  resolu 
tion  it  was  recommended  to  the  people,  on  the  next  birth-day  of 
Washington,  the  twenty-second  of  February,  to  testify  their  grief,  and 
to  commemorate  his  virtues  and  services  by  eulogies,  addresses,  and 
public  prayers.  These  resolutions  were  passed  unanimously,  and  the 
House  adjourned  from  Thursday  till  the  succeeding  Monday:  and 
though  he  had,  for  a  year  or  two  before  his  death,  lost  much  of  his 
former  popularity  with  the  more  violent  of  the  Republican  party,  yet 
those  feelings  were  now  all  hushed  in  the  grave,  and  nothing  was 
(280) 


GEORGE  TUCKER.  281 

recollected  but  his  eminent  services  in  the  Revolution,  his  purity, 
firmness,  and  disinterestedness  in  all  situations. 

The  honors  he  received  abroad  are  such  as  have  no  parallel. 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  then  First  Consul  of  France,  ordered  an  oration 
to  his  honor;  and  the  whole  British  fleet  lowered  their  colors  half- 
mast. 

These  unwonted  honors  were  not  paid  to  the  elevated  station 
Washington  had  occupied,  as  commanding  the  armies  of  his  country, 
of  presiding  in  her  councils,  nor  to  the  unequalled  services  he  had 
rendered  that  country  in  those  characters,  nor  to  his  singular  fortune 
in  having  prospered  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  in  having  obtained 
an  unanimous  vote  of  a  free  people  in  every  office  to  which  he  had 
been  nominated — but  to  his  spotless  virtues,  which  ever  sought  the 
noblest  ends  by  the  most  unexceptionable  means,  and  in  whom  the 
virtues  of  justice  and  fortitude,  prudence  and  temperance,  were  so  har 
moniously  blended,  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  had  the 
» 

predominance.  He  was  regarded  not  so  much  as  an  American,  as  a 
man  whom  all  mankind  took  pleasure  in  honoring,  and  who  was  an 
honor  to  the  human  race. 

GEORGE  TUCKER  was  born  in  Bermuda,  1775,  emigrated  to  Virginia  in  1787,  and  died 
at  Charlotteville,  Va.,  April  10,  1861.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  in  1819-25,  and  in 
1825-45  was  professor  of  moral  philosophy,  afcd  political  economy  in  the  University  of  Vir 
ginia.  His  "  History  of  the  United  States  from  their  colonization  to  the  end  of  the  twenty- 
sixth  Congress  in  1841,"  was  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1857.  4  vols.,  8vo.  Our  quota 
tion  is  from  page  104  of  Vol.  II,  in  another  part  of  which  Mr.  Tucker  says,  "The  purity, 
disinterestedness,  and  scrupulous  regard  to  justice  and  propriety  of  Washington  present  to 
us  a  model  which,  admired  by  all,  is  mistaken  by  none,  and  often  turns  the  balance  in 
a  mind  vacillating  between  right  and  wrong,  and  infuses  new  life  and  energy  into  the 
-virtuous  and  patriotic." 

36 


THEODORE  PARKER. 

1858. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  was  descended  from  the  common  class  of 
Virginia  farmers.  No  ruler  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  stock  has  obtained 
so  great  a  reputation  for  the  higher  qualities  of  human  virtue.  For 
more  than  one  thousand  years  no  statesman  or  soldier  has  left  a  name 
so  much  to  be  coveted.  None  ever  became  so  dear  to  the  thoughtful 
of  mankind.  In  the  long  line  of  generals,  kings,  and  emperors,  from 
the  first  monarch  to  the  last  president  or  pope,  none  ranks  so  high 
for  the  prime  excellence  of  heroic  virtue.  His  name  is  a  watchword 
of  liberty.  His  example  and  character  are  held  up  as  the  model  for 
all  men  in  authority.  *  *  *  * 

The  highest  moral  quality  is  Integrity,  faithfulness  to  conviction 
and  to  all  delegated  trust.  This  was  his  crowning  virtue.  He  had 
it  in  the  heroic  degree.  It  appears  in  all  his  life — from  the  boy  of 
thirteen,  diligently  copying  his  tasks,  to  the  famous  man,  well  nigh 
threescore  and  ten.  Here  I  know  not  who  was  his  superior.  I 
cannot  put  my  finger  on  a  deliberate  act  of  his  public  or  private  life 
which  would  detract  from  this  high  praise.  He  had  no  subtility  of 
character,  no  cunning;  he  hated  duplicity,  lying,  and  liars.  He 
withdrew  his  confidence  from  Jefferson  when  he  found  him  fraudu 
lent;  from  his  secretary,  Reed,  when  he  was  found  false  in  a  small 
particular.  He  would  not  appoint  Aaron  Burr  to  any  office,  because 
(282) 


THEODORE  PARKER.  283 

he  knew  him  to  be  an  intriguer.  He  could  be  silent,  he  could  not 
feign;  simulation  and  dissimulation  formed  no  part  of  his  character. 
Reserved,  cautious,  thinking  before  he  spoke,  I  can  find  no  act  of  his 
civil  life  which  implies  the  least  insincerity,  the  least  want  of  ingenu 
ousness  in  the  man.  *  *  *  * 

It  has  been  said  Washington  was  not  a  great  soldier;  but  cer 
tainly  he  created  an  army  out  of  the  roughest  materials,  outgeneralled 
all  that  Britain  could  send  against  him,  and  in  the  midst  of  poverty 
and  distress,  organized  victory.  He  was  not  brilliant  and  rapid.  He 
was  slow,  defensive,  and  victorious.  He  made  "  an  empty  bag  stand 
upright,"  which  Franklin  says  is  "hard."  Some  men  command  the 
world,  or  hold  its  admiration  by  their  Ideas  or  by  their  Intellect. 
Washington  had  neither  Original  Ideas,  nor  a  deeply  cultured  mind. 
He  commands  by  his  Integrity,  by  his  Justice.  He  loved  Power  by 
instinct,  and  strong  Government  by  reflective  choice.  Twice  he  was 
made  Dictator,  with  absolute  power,  and  never  abused  the  awful  and 
despotic  trust.  The  monarchic  soldiers  and  civilians  would  make 
him  king.  He  trampled  on  their  offer,  and  went  back  to  his  fields  of 
corn  and  tobacco  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  grandest  act  of  his  public 
life  was  to  give  up  his  power;  the  most  magnanimous  deed  of  his 
private  life  was  to  liberate  his  slaves. 

Washington  is  the  first  man  of  his  type;  when  will  there  be 
another?  As  yet  the  American  rhetoricians  do  not  dare  tell  half  his 
excellence;  but  the  people  should  not  complain. 

Cromwell  is  the  greatest  Anglo-Saxon  who  was  ever  a  Ruler  on 
a  large  scale.  In  intellect  he  was  immensely  superior  to  Washington; 
in  integrity,  immeasurably  below  him.  For  one  thousand  years  no 


284  THEODORE  PARKER. 

king  in  Christendom  has  shown  such  greatness,  or  gives  us  so  high 
a  type  of  manly  virtue.  He  never  dissembled.  He  sought  nothing 
for  himself.  In  him  there  was  no  unsound  spot;  nothing  little  or 
mean  in  his  character.  The  whole  was  clean  and  presentable.  We 
think  better  of  mankind  because  he  lived,  adorning  the  earth  with  a 
life  so  noble.  Shall  we  make  an  Idol  of  him,  and  worship  it  with 
huzzas  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  with  stupid  Rhetoric  on  other  days? 
Shall  we  build  him  a  great  monument,  founding  it  in  a  slave  pen? 
His  glory  already  covers  the  Continent.  More  than  two  hundred 
places  bear  his  name.  He  is  revered  as  the  "The  Father  of  his 
Country."  The  people  are  his  memorial.  The  New  York  Indians 
hold  this  tradition  of  him.  "Alone,  of  all  white  men,"  say  they,  "he 
has  been  admitted  to  the  Indian  Heaven,  because  of  his  justice  to  the 
Red  Men.  He  lives  in  a  great  palace,  built  like  a  fort.  All  the 
Indians,  as  they  go  to  Heaven,  pass  by,  and  he  himself  is  in  his  uni 
form,  a  sword  at  his  side,  walking  to  and  fro.  They  bow  reverently 
with  great  humility.  He  returns  the  salute,  but  says  nothing."  Such 
is  the  reward  of  his  Justice  to  the  Red  Men.  God  be  thanked  for 
such  a  man. 


THEODORE  PARKER,  clergyman  and  controversialist,  was  born  at  Lexington,  Mass., 
August  24,  1810,  and  died  at  Florence,  Italy,  May  10,  1860.  He  studied  divinity  at 
Cambridge,  and  was  settled  over  the  Unitarian  Society  at  West  Roxbury,  in  June,  1837. 
Mr.  Parker  was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  temperance  and  anti-slavery,  writing  and 
speaking  much  in  the  latter  cause  especially,  and  was  plain,  outspoken  and  uncompromising, 
in  the  utterance  of  his  convictions.  He  published  numerous  sermons  and  addresses,  and 
delivered  many  lectures.  Our  extracts  are  from  a  lecture  on  Washington  prepared  in  1858, 
and  published  after  his  decease  with  three  others,  on  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and  Jefferson, 
under  the  title  "Historic  Americans."  Boston,  1870.  I2mo. 


GEORGE  BANCROFT. 

1858. 

Ox  the  fifteenth  day  of  June  (1775),  it  was  voted  to  appoint  a 
general.  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  nominated  George  Washington;  and 
as  he  had  been  brought  forward  "at  the  particular  request  of  the 
people  in  New  England,"  he  was  elected  by  ballot  unanimously. 

Washington  was  then  forty-three  years  of  age.  In  stature  he  a 
little  exceeded  six  feet;  his  limbs  were  sinewy  and  well  proportioned; 
his  chest  broad;  his  figure  stately,  blending  dignity  of  presence  with 
ease.  His  robust  constitution  had  been  tried  and  invigorated  by  his 
early  life  in  the  wilderness,  his  habit  of  occupation  out  of  doors,  and 
his  rigid  temperance;  so  that  few  equalled  him  in  strength  of  arm  or 
power  of  endurance.  His  complexion  was  florid ;  his  hair  dark  brown ; 
his  head  in  its  shape  perfectly  round.  His  broad  nostrils  seemed 
formed  to  give  expression  and  escape  to  scornful  anger.  His  dark 
blue  eyes,  which  were  deeply  set,  had  an  expression  of  resignation,  and 
an  earnestness  that  was  almost  sadness.  *  *  *  * 

His  faculties  were  so  well  balanced  and  combined,  that  his  consti 
tution,  free  from  excess,  was  tempered  evenly  with  all  the  elements  of 
activity,  and  his  mind  resembled  a  well  ordered  commonwealth ;  his 
passions,  which  had  the  intensest  vigor,  owned  allegiance  to  reason; 
and,  with  all  the  fiery  quickness  of  his  spirit,  his  impetuous  and  mas 
sive  will  was  held  in  check  by  consummate  judgment.  He  had  in  his 

(285) 


286  GEORGE  BANCROFT. 

composition  a  calm,  which  gave  him  in  moments  of  highest  excitement 
the  power  of  self-control,  and  enabled  him  to  excel  in  patience,  even 
when  he  had  most  cause  for  disgust.  Washington  was  offered  a  com 
mand  when  there  was  little  to  bring  out  the  unorganized  resources  of 
the  continent  but  his  own  influence,  and  authority  was  connected  with 
the  people  by  the  most  frail,  most  attenuated,  scarcely  discernible 
threads;  yet  vehement  as  was  his  nature,  impassioned  as  was  his 
courage,  he  so  restrained  his  ardor,  that  he  never  failed  continuously 
to  exert  the  attracting  power  of  that  influence,  and  never  exerted  it  so 
sharply  as  to  break  its  force. 

In  secrecy  he  was  unsurpassed;  but  his  secrecy  had  the  character 
of  prudent  reserve,  not  of  cunning  or  concealment. 

His  understanding  was  lucid,  and  his  judgment  accurate;  so  that 
his  conduct  never  betrayed  hurry  or  confusion.  No  detail  was  too 
minute  for  his  personal  inquiry  and  continued  supervision;  and  at  the 
same  time  he  comprehended  events  in  their  widest  aspects  and  rela 
tions.  He  never  seemed  above  the  object  that  engaged  his  attention, 
and  he  was  always  equal,  without  an  effort,  to  the  solution  of  the 
highest  questions,  even  when  there  existed  no  precedents  to  guide  his 
decision. 

In  this  way  he  never  drew  to  himself  admiration  for  the  possession 
of  any  one  quality  in  excess,  never  made  in  council  any  one  suggestion 
that  was  sublime  but  impracticable,  never  in  action  took  to  himself  the 
praise  or  the  blame  of  undertakings  astonishing  in  conception,  but 
beyond  his  means  of  execution.  It  was  the  most  wonderful  accom 
plishment  of  this  man  that  placed  upon  the  largest  theatre  of  events, 
at  the  head  of  the  greatest  revolution  in  human  affairs,  he  never  failed 


GEORGE  BANCROFT.  287 

to  observe  all  that  was  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  to  bound  his 
aspirations  by  that  which  was  possible. 

A  slight  tinge  in  his  character,  perceptible  only  to  the  close 
observer,  revealed  the  region  from  which  he  sprung,  and  he  might  be 
described  as  the  best  specimen  of  manhood  as  developed  in  the  south ; 
but  his  qualities  were  so  faultlessly  proportioned,  that  his  whole 
country  rather  claimed  him  as  its  choicest  representative,  the  most 
complete  expression  of  all  its  attainments  and  aspirations.  He  studied 
his  country  and  conformed  to  it.  His  countrymen  felt  that  he  was  the 
best  type  of  America,  and  rejoiced  in  it,  and  were  proud  of  it.  They 
lived  in  his  life,  and  made  his  success  and  his  praise  their  own. 

Profoundly  impressed  with  confidence  in  God's  Providence,  and 
exemplary  in  his  respect  for  the  forms  of  public  worship,  no  philoso 
pher  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  more  firm  in  the  support  of  freedom 
of  religious  opinion ;  none  more  tolerant,  or  more  remote  from  bigotry; 
but  belief  in  God  and  trust  in  His  overruling  power,  formed  the  essence 
of  his  character.  Divine  wisdom  not  only  illumines  the  spirit,  it  inspires 
the  will.  Washington  was  a  man  of  action,  and  not  of  theory  or 
words;  his  creed  appears  in  his  life,  not  in  his  professions,  which  burst 
from  him  very  rarely,  and  only  at  those  great  moments  of  crisis  in  the 
fortunes  of  his  country,  when  earth  and  heaven  seemed  actually  to 
meet,  and  his  emotions  became  too  intense  for  suppression ;  but  his 
whole  being  was  one  continued  act  of  faith  in  the  eternal,  intelligent, 
moral  order  of  the  universe.  Integrity  was  so  completely  the  law  of 
his  nature,  that  a  planet  would  sooner  have  shot  from  its  sphere,  than 
he  have  departed  from  his  uprightness,  which  was  so  constant,  that  it 
often  seemed  to  be  almost  impersonal. 


288  GEORGE  BANCROFT. 

They  say  of  Giotto,  that  he  introduced  goodness  into  the  art  of 
painting;  Washington  carried  it  with  him  to  the  camp  and  the  cabinet, 
and  established  a  new  criterion  of  human  greatness.  The  purity  of 
his  will  confirmed  his  fortitude;  and  as  he  never  faltered  in  his  faith 
in  virtue,  he  stood  fast  by  that  which  he  knew  to  be  just;  free  from 
illusions ;  never  dejected  by  the  apprehension  of  the  difficulties  and 
perils  that  went  before  him,  and  drawing  the  promise  of  success  from 
the  justice  of  his  cause.  Hence  he. was  persevering,  leaving  nothing 
unfinished;  free  from  all  taint  of  obstinacy  in  his  firmness;  seeking, 
and  gladly  receiving  advice,  but  immovable  in  his  devotedness  to  right. 

Of  a  "retiring  modesty  and  habitual  reserve,"  his  ambition  was 
no  more  than  the  consciousness  of  his  power,  and  was  subordinate  to 
his  sense  of  duty;  he  took  the  foremost  place,  for  he  knew  from 
inborn  magnanimity  that  it  belonged  to  him,  and  he  dared  not  with 
hold  the  service  required  of  him;  so  that  with  all  his  humility,  he  was 
by  necessity  the  first,  though  never  for  himself  or  for  private  ends. 
He  loved  fame,  the  approval  of  coming  generations,  the  good  opinion 
of  his  fellow-men  of  his  own  time,  and  he  desired  to  make  his  con 
duct  coincide  with  their  wishes ;  but  not  fear  of  censure,  not  the  pros 
pect  of  applause,  could  tempt  him  to  swerve  from  rectitude,  and  the 
praise  which  he  coveted,  was  the  sympathy  of  that  moral  sentiment 
which  exists  in  every  human  breast,  and  goes  forth  only  to  the  wel 
come  of  virtue. 

There  have  been  soldiers  who  have  achieved  mightier  victories 
in  the  field,  and  made  conquests  more  nearly  corresponding  to  the 
boundlessness  of  selfish  ambition;  statesmen  who  have  been  con 
nected  with  more  startling  upheavals  of  society ;  but  it  is  the  greatness 


GEORGE  BANCROFT.  289 

of  Washington,  that  in  public  trusts  he  used  power  solely  for  the 
public  good;  that  he  was  the  life,  and  moderator,  and  stay  of  the 
most  momentous  revolution  in  human  affairs,  its  moving  impulse  and 
its  restraining  power.  Combining  the  centripetal  and  the  centrifugal 
forces  in  their  utmost  strength  and  in  perfect  relations,  with  creative 
grandeur  of  instinct  he  held  ruin  in  check,  and  renewed  and  perfected 
the  institutions  of  his  country.  Finding  the  colonies  disconnected 
and  dependent,  he  left  them  such  a  united  and  well  ordered  common 
wealth  as  no  visionary  had  believed  to  be  possible.  So  that  it  has 
been  truly  said,  "he  was  as  fortunate  as  great  and  good."* 

This  also  is  the  praise  of  Washington;  that  never  in  the  tide  of 
time  has  any  man  lived  who  had  in  so  great  a  degree  the  almost 
divine  faculty  to  command  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-men  and  rule 
the  willing.  W'herever  he  became  known,  in  his  family,  his  neighbor 
hood,  his  county,  his  native  state,  the  continent,  the  camp,  civil  life, 
the  United  States,  among  the  common  people,  in  foreign  courts, 
throughout  the  civilized  world  of  the  human  race,  and  even  among 
the  savages,  he,  beyond  all  other  men,  had  the  confidence  of  his  kind. 

GEORGE  BANCROFT,  son  of  the  Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft,  D.D.,  (page  154,)  was  born  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  October  3,  1800.  He  entered  Harvard  College  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen, 
and  graduated  in  1817;  he  also  studied  at  the  German  Universities,  and  held  for  a  short 
time  (1822)  the  post  of  Greek  tutor  in  Harvard.  Mr.  Bancroft  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  in  1845,  ms  administration  being  marked  by  the  establishment  of  the  naval  school 
at  Annapolis,  and  during  1846-9  was  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Great  Britain.  As  early  as 
.  1823  he  began  collecting  materials  for  his  "History  of  the  United  States,"  the  first  volume 
appearing  in  1834,  the  seventh,  from  which  we  quote,  in  1858,  and  the  tenth  and  last  in  1874, 
since  supplemented  by  the  "History  of  the  formation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States." 

*  Aaron  Bancroft,  page  153. — ED. 

37 


290  GEORGE  BANCROFT. 

2  vols.,  8vo.,  1882.  In  a  review  by  WILLIAM  H.  PRESCOTT  of  the  third  volume,  {North 
Am.  Review,  January,  1841,)  that  writer  says,  "What  Mr.  Bancroft  has  done  for  the  Colonial 
history  is,  after  all,  but  preparation  for  a  richer  theme,  the  history  of  the  War  for  Indepen 
dence;  a  subject  which  finds  its  origin  in  the  remote  past,  its  results  in  the  infinite  future; 
which  finds  a  central  point  of  unity  in  the  ennobling  principle  of  independence,  that  gives 
dignity  and  grandeur  to  the  most  petty  details  of  the  conflict,  and  which  has  its  foreground 
occupied  by  a  single  character,  to  which  all  others  converge  as  to  a  centre — the  character  of 
Washington,  in  war,  in  peace,  and  in  private  life  the  most  sublime  on  historical  record." 


HENRY  T.  TUCKERMAN. 

1859. 

THE  world  has  yet  to  understand  the  intellectual  efficiency  derived 
from  moral  qualities, — how  the  candor  of  an  honest  and  the  clearness 
of  an  unperverted  mind  attain  results  beyond  the  reach  of  mere  intel 
ligence  and  adroitness, — how  conscious  integrity  gives  both  insjght 
and  directness  to  mental  operations,  and  elevation  above  the  plane  of 
selfish  motives  affords  a  more  comprehensive,  and  therefore  a  more 
available  view  of  affairs,  than  the  keenest  examination  based  exclusively 
on  personal  ability.  It  becomes  apparent,  when  illustrated  by  a  life 
and  its  results,  that  the  cunning  of  a  Talleyrand,  the  military  genius 
of  a  Napoleon,  the  fascinating  qualities  of  a  Fox,  and  other  similar 
endowments  of  statesmen  and  soldiers,  are  essentially  limited  and 
temporary  in  their  influence ;  whereas  a  good  average  intellect,  sub 
limated  by  self-forgetting  intrepidity,  allies  itself  for  ever  to  the  central 
and  permanent  interests  of  humanity.  The  mind  of  Washington  was 
eminently  practical;  his  perceptive  faculties  were  strongly  developed; 
the  sense  of  beauty  and  the  power  of  expression,  those  endowments 
so  large  in  the  scholar  and  the  poet,  were  the  least  active  in  his  nature; 
but  the  observant  powers  whereby  space  is  measured  at  a  glance,  and 
the  physical  qualities  noted  correctly, — the  reflective  instincts  through 
which  just  ideas  of  facts  and  circumstances  are  realized, — the  senti 
ment  of  order  which  regulates  the  most  chaotic  elements  of  duty  and 

(291) 


292  HENRY  T.  TUCKERMAN. 

work,  thus  securing  despatch  and  precision, — the  openness  to  right 
impressions  characteristic  of  an  intellect,  over  which  the  visionary 
tendencies  of  imagination  cast  no  delusion,  and  whose  chief  affinity  is 
for  absolute  truth, — these  noble  and  efficient  qualities  eminently  dis 
tinguished  his  mental  organization,  and  were  exhibited  as  its  normal 
traits  from  childhood  to  age.  To  them  we  refer  his  prescience  in  regard 
to  the  agricultural  promise  of  wild  tracts,  the  future  growth  of  locali 
ties,  the  improvement  of  estates,  the  facilities  of  communication,  the 
adaptation  of  soils,  and  other  branches  of  economics.  By  means  of 
them  he  read  character  with  extraordinary  success.  They  led  him  to 
methodize  his  life  and  labors,  to  plan  with  wisdom  and  execute  with 
judgment,  to  use  the  most  appropriate  terms  in  conversation  and 
writing,  to  keep  the  most  exact  accounts,  to  seek  useful  information 
from  every  source,  to  weigh  prudently  and  decide  firmly,  to  measure 
his  words  and  manner  with  singular  adaptation  to  the  company  and 
the  occasion,  to  keep  tranquil  within  his  own  brain  perplexities,  doubts, 
projects,  anxieties,  cares,  and  hopes  enough  to  bewilder  the  most 
capacious  intellect  and  to  sink  the  boldest  heart.  His  mental  features 
beam  through  his  correspondence.  We  say  this  advisedly,  notwith 
standing  the  formal  and  apparently  cold  tenor  of  many  of  his  letters ; 
for  so  grand  is  the  sincerity  of  purpose,  so  magnanimous  the  spirit,  so 
patient,  reverent,  and  devoted  the  sentiment  underlying  these  brief 
and  unadorned  epistles,  whether  of  business  or  courtesy,  that  a  moral 
glow  interfuses  their  plain  and  direct  language,  often  noble  enough  to 
awaken  a  thrill  of  admiration,  together  with  a  latent  pathos  that  starts 
tears  in  the  reader  of  true  sensibility.  The  unconsciousness  of  self,  the 
consideration  for  others,  the  moderation  in  success,  the  calmness  in  dis- 


HENRY  T.  TUCKERMAN.  293 

aster,  the  singleness  of  purpose,  the  heroic  self-reliance,  the  immacu 
late  patriotism,  the  sense  of  God  and  humanity,  the  wise,  fearless, 
truthful  soul  that  is  thus  revealed,  in  self-possessed  energy  in  the 
midst  of  the  heaviest  responsibilities  that  ever  pressed  on  mortal  heart, 
with  the  highest  earthly  good  in  view,  and  the  most  complicated 
obstacles  around, — serene,  baffled,  yet  never  overcome,  and  never 
oblivious  of  self-respect  or  neglectful  of  the  minutest  details  of  official 
and  personal  duty, — is  manifest  to  our  consciousness  as  we  read,  and 
we  seem  to  behold  the  benign  and  dignified  countenance  of  the  writer 
through  the  transparent  medium  of  his  unpretending  letters.*  Com 
pare,  as  illustrations  of  character,  the  authenticity  of  which  is  beyond 
dispute,  the  correspondence  of  Washington  and  that  between  Napo 
leon  and  his  brother  Joseph,  recently  published  at  Paris.  All  the 
romance  of  spurious  memoirs,  all  the  dazzling  prestige  of  military 
genius,  fails  to  obviate  the  impression  the  emperor's  own  pen  conveys, 
in  the  honest  utterance  of  fraternal  correspondence,  of  his  obtuse 
egotism,  arrogant  self-will,  and  heartless  ambition.  In  Washington's 
letters,  whether  expostulating,  in  the  name  of  our  common  humanity, 
with  Gage,  striving  to  reconcile  Schuyler  to  the  mortifications  of  a 


*  "  The  publication  of  the  correspondence  of  Washington  is,  without  doubt,  the  noblest 
monument  which  could  have  been  raised  to  his  glory.  In  it  is  truly  shown  this  great  char 
acter,  so  original  in  its  simplicity.  Little  to  astonish,  few  special  characteristics,  but  a  striking 
whole.  Little  fertility  with  little  conciseness ;  monotony  in  construction,  and  the  winning 
power  of  genius ;  a  penetration  and  a  breadth  of  view  amounting  to  eloquence ;  a  sincere 
propriety,  without  extravagance  or  prudery;  a  quick  temper,  but  regulated  and  restrained, 
against  which  none  were  tempted  to  guard  themselves,  and  which  moved  and  attracted  the 
coldest  spirits  without  disturbing  minds  more  thoughtful." — CORNELIS  DE  WITT.  Histoire 
de  Washington,  etc.  Paris,  1855.  8vo. — ED. 


294 


HENRY  T.  TUCKERMAN. 


service  he  threatened  to  quit  in  disgust,  freely  describing  his  own 
trials  to  Reed,  pleading  with  Congress  for  supplies,  directing  the  man 
agement  of  his  estate  from  amid  the  gloomy  cares  of  the  camp, 
acknowledging  a  gift  from  some  foreign  nobleman,  or  a  copy  of  verses 
from  poor  Phillis  Wheatley,  the  same  perspicuity  and  propriety,  wis 
dom  and  kindliness,  self-respect  and  remembrance  of  every  personal 
obligation,  are  obvious.  *  *  *  * 

Is  not  the  absence  of  brilliant  mental  qualities  one  of  the  chief 
benefactions  to  man  of  Washington's  example?  He  conspicuously 
illustrated  a  truth  in  the  philosophy  of  life,  often  appreciated  in  the 
domestic  circle  and  the  intimacies  of  private  society,  but  rarely  in 
history, — the  genius  of  character,  the  absolute  efficiency  of  the  will 
and  the  sentiments  independently  of  extraordinary  intellectual  gifts. 
Not  that  these  were  not  superior  also  in  the  man;  but  it  was  through 
their  alliance  with  moral  energy,  and  not  by  virtue  of  any  transcendent 
and  intrinsic  force  in  themselves,  that  he  was  great.  It  requires  no 
analytical  insight  to  distinguish  between  the  traits  which  insured  suc 
cess  and  renown  to  Washington,  and  those  whereby  Alexander,  Caesar, 
and  Napoleon,  achieved  their  triumphs;  and  it  is  precisely  because 
the  popular  heart  so  clearly  and  universally  beholds  in  the  American 
hero  the  simple  majesty  of  truth,  the  power  of  moral  consistency,  the 
beauty  and  grandeur  of  disinterestedness  and  magnanimity,  that  his 
name  and  fame  are  inexpressibly  dear  to  humanity.  Never  before  nor 
since  has  it  been  so  memorably  demonstrated  that  unselfish  devotion 
and  patient  self-respect  are  the  great  reconciling  principles  of  civic  as 
well  as  of  social  and  domestic  life;  that  they  are  the  nucleus  around 
which  all  the  elements  of  national  integrity,  however  scattered  and 


HENRY  T.  TUCKER  MAN.  295 

perverted,  inevitably  crystallize;  that  men  thus  severely  true  to  them 
selves  and  duty,  become  not  dazzling  meteors  to  lure  armies  to 
victory,  nor  triumphant  leaders  to  dazzle  and  win  mankind  to  the 
superstitious  abrogation  of  their  rights,  but  oracles  of  public  faith, 
representatives  of  what  is  highest  in  our  common  nature,  and  there 
fore  an  authority  which  it  is  noble  and  ennobling  to  recognise.  The 
appellative  so  heartily,  and  by  common  instinct,  bestowed  upon  Wash 
ington,  is  a  striking  proof  of  this,  and  gives  a  deep  significance  to  the 
beautiful  idea,  that  "  Providence  left  him  childless,  that  his  country 
might  call  him — Father." 


HENRY  THEODORE  TUCKERMAN  was  born  at  Boston,  April  20,  1813,  and  died  in  New 
York  City,  December  17,  1871.  He  received  his  education  in  Boston,  and  after  visiting 
Europe,  moved  to  New  York.  He  was  the  author  of  numerous  works,  biographies,  essays 
and  art  criticisms,  and  frequently  contributed  to  the  periodicals  of  the  day.  His  "  Character 
and  Portraits  of  Washington,"  from  which  we  make  the  extracts,  was  published  at  New  York, 
in  1859,410;  the  essay  on  the  character,  pronounced  by  Everett  as  "extremely  judicious," 
originally  appeared  in  the  North  American  Review,  July,  1856. 


WASHINGTON  IRVING. 

1859. 

IN  regard  to  the  character  and  conduct  of  Washington,  we  have 
endeavored  to  place  his  deeds  in  the  clearest  light,  and  left  them  to 
speak  for  themselves,  generally  avoiding  comment  or  eulogium.  We 
have  quoted  his  own  words  and  writings  largely,  to  explain  his  feel 
ings  and  motives,  and  give  the  true  key  to  his  policy;  for  never  did 
man  leave  a  more  truthful  mirror  of  his  heart  and  mind,  and  a  more 
thorough  exponent  of  his  conduct  than  he  has  left  in  his  copious 
correspondence.  There  his  character  is  to  be  found  in  all  its  majestic 
simplicity,  its  massive  grandeur,  and  quiet  colossal  strength.  He  was 
no  hero  of  romance;  there  was  nothing  of  romantic  heroism  in  his 
nature.  As  a  warrior,  he  was  incapable  of  fear,  but  made  no  merit  of 
defying  danger.  He  fought  for  a  cause,  but  not  for  personal  renown. 
Gladly,  when  he  had  won  the  cause,  he  hung  up  his  sword  never  again 
to  take  it  down.  Glory,  that  blatant  word,  which  haunts  some  military 
minds  like  the  bray  of  the  trumpet,  formed  no  part  of  his  aspirations. 
'To  act  justly  was  his  instinct,  to  promote  the  public  weal  his  constant 
effort,  to  deserve  the  "affections  of  good  men"  his  ambition.  With 
such  qualifications  for  the  pure  exercise  of  sound  judgment  and  com 
prehensive  wisdom,  he  ascended  the  presidential  chair.  *  *  *  * 

The  character  of  Washington  may  want  some  of  those  poetical 
elements  which  dazzle  and  delight  the  multitude,  but  it  possessed 
(296) 


WASHINGTON  IR  VING.  297 

fewer  inequalities,  and  a  rarer  union  of  virtues  than  perhaps  ever  fell 
to  the  lot  of  one  man.  Prudence,  firmness,  sagacity,  moderation,  an 
overruling  judgment,  an  immovable  justice,  courage  that  never  faltered, 
patience  that  never  wearied,  truth  that  disdained  all  artifice,  magna 
nimity  without  alloy.  It  seems  as  if  Providence  had  endowed  him  in  a 
preeminent  degree  with  the  qualities  requisite  to  fit  him  for  the  high 
destiny  he  was  called  upon  to  fulfil — to  conduct  a  momentous  revolu 
tion  which  was  to  form  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  world,  and  to 
inaugurate  a  new  and  untried  government,  which,  to  use  his  own 
words,  was  to  lay  the  foundation  "for  the  enjoyment  of  much  purer 
civil  liberty,  and  greater  public  happiness,  than  have  hitherto  been  the 
portion  of  mankind." 

The  fame  of  Washington  stands  apart  from  every  other  in  history ; 
shining  with  a  truer  lustre  and  a  more  benignant  glory.  With  us  his 
memory  remains  a  national  property,  where  all  sympathies  throughout 
our  widely-extended  and  diversified  empire  meet  in  unison.  Under 
all  dissensions  and  amid  all  the  storms  of  party,  his  precepts  and 
example  speak  to  us  from  the  grave  with  a  paternal  appeal ;  and  his 
name — by  all  revered — forms  a  universal  tie  of  brotherhood — a  watch 
word  of  our  Union. 

"It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  historian  and  the  sage  of  all  nations," 
writes  an  eminent  British  statesman,  "  to  let  no  occasion  pass  of 
commemorating  this  illustrious  man,  and  until  time  shall  be  no 
more,  will  a  test  of  the  progress  which  our  race  has  made  in  wisdom 
and  virtue,  be  derived  from  the  veneration  paid  to  the  immortal  name 
of  Washington."* 

*  Lord  Brougham,  page  210. — ED. 
38 


298  WASHINGTON  IRVING. 

WASHINGTON  IRVING  was  born  in  New  York  City,  April  3,  1783,  and  died  at  Sunny- 
side  on  the  Hudson  river,  November  28, 1859.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
but  did  not  enter  into  its  practice.  His  earliest  contribution  to  the  Republic  of  Letters  was 
a  series  of  articles  on  the  drama,  the  social  customs  of  New  York,  etc.,  under  the  nom-de- 
plume  of  "  Jonathan  Oldstyle,"  published  in  the  Morning  Chronicle,  edited  by  his  brother, 
Peter  Irving.  The  productions  of  his  pen,  replete  with  talent,  and  the  finest  utterances  our 
language  is  capable  of,  have  caused  his  name  to  be  known  to  the  entire  civilized  world,  and 
stamped  him  as  the  American  classic.  His  "  Life  of  Washington,"  published  at  New  York, 
1855-9,  5  vols.,  8vo,  from  Vols.  IV  and  V  of  which  we  quote,  was  his  last  production,  a 
fitting  close  to  the  labors  of  a  life,  as  free  from  stain,  and  as  pure,  as  his  own  beautiful  writings. 


WILLIAM  M.  THACKERAY. 

1859. 

IN  reading  over  our  American  campaigns  from  their  unhappy 
commencement  to  their  inglorious  end,  now  that  we  are  able  to  see 
the  enemy's  movements  and  condition  as  well  as  our  own,  I  fancy 
we  can  see  how  an  advance,  a  march,  might  have  put  enemies  into  our 
power  who  had  no  means  to  withstand  it,  and  changed  the  entire  issue 
of  the  struggle.  But  is  was  ordained  by  heaven,  and  for  the  good,  as 
we  can  now  have  no  doubt,  of  both  empires,  that  the  great  Western 
Republic  should  separate  from  us :  and  the  gallant  soldiers  who  fought 
on  her  side,  their  indomitable  Chief  above  all,  had  the  glory  of  facing 
and  overcoming,  not  only  veterans  amply  provided  and  inured  to  war, 
but  wretchedness,  cold,  hunger,  dissensions,  treason  within  their  own 
camp,  where  all  must  have  gone  to  rack,  but  for  the  pure  unquench 
able  flame  of  patriotism  that  was  ever  burning  in  the  bosom  of  the 
heroic  leader.  What  a  constancy,  what  a  magnanimity,  what  a  sur 
prising  persistence  against  fortune!  Washington  before  the  enemy 
was  no  better  nor  braver  than  hundreds  who  fought  with  him  or 
against  him  (who  has  not  heard  the  repeated  sneers  against  "Fabius" 
in  which  his  factious  captains  were  accustomed  to  indulge?)  but  Wash 
ington  the  Chief  of  a  nation  in  arms,  doing  battle  with  distracted 
parties;  calm  in  the  midst  of  conspiracy;  serene  against  the  open  foe 
before  him  and  the  darker  enemies  at  his  back;  Washington  inspiring 

(299) 


300  WILLIAM  M.  THACKERAY. 

order  and  spirit  into  troops  hungry  and  in  rags ;  stung  by  ingratitude, 
but  betraying  no  anger,  and  ever  ready  to  forgive;  in  defeat  invincible, 
magnanimous  in  conquest,  and  never  so  sublime  as  on  that  day  when 
he  laid  down  his  victorious  sword  and  sought  his  noble  retirement: — 
here  indeed  is  a  character  to  admire  and  revere;  a  life  without  a  stain, 
a  fame  without  a  flaw.  Quando  invenies parem? 


WILLIAM  MAKEPEACE  THACKERAY,  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  modern  English 
novelists  and  essayists,  was  born  at  Calcutta  in  1811,  and  died  in  London,  December  24, 
1863.  He  was  sent  to  England  at  seven  years  of  age,  and  received  his  education  at  the 
Charter-House  School,  and  at  the  University  of  Cambridge.  "The  Virginians,"  from  which 
we  quote,  was  published  at  London,  in  1858-59.  2  vols.,  8vo. 


EDWARD  EVERETT. 

1860. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON'S  personal  appearance  was  in  harmony 
with  his  character ;  it  was  a  model  of  manly  strength  and  beauty. 
He  was  about  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  and  his  person  well  pro 
portioned, — in  the  earlier  part  of  life  rather  spare,  and  never  too  stout 
for  active  and  graceful  movement.  The  complexion  inclined  to  the 
florid  ;  the  eyes  were  blue  and  remarkably  far  apart ;  a  profusion  of 
brown  hair  was  drawn  back  from  the  forehead,  highly  powdered 
according  to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  and  gathered  in  a  bag  behind.  He 
was  scrupulously  neat  in  his  dress,  and  while  in  camp,  though  he 
habitually  left  his  tent  at  sunrise,  he  was  usually  dressed  for  the 
day.  His  strength  of  arm,  and  his  skill  and  grace  as  a  horseman, 
have  been  already  mentioned.  His  power  of  endurance  was  great, 
and  there  were  occasions,  as  at  the  retreat  from  Long  Island  and  the 
battle  of  Princeton,  when  he  was  scarcely  out  of  his  saddle  for  two 
days.  *  *  *  * 

Washington's  religious   impressions  were  in  harmony  with  the 

rest  of  his  character, — deep,  rational,  and  practical He  was  at 

all  times  a  regular  attendant  on  public  worship,  and  an  occasional 
partaker  of  the  communion;  and  is  believed  habitually  to  have  begun 
the  day  with  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  prayer  in  his  closet. 
His  private  correspondence,  his  general  orders,  and  his  public  acts  of 

(301) 


302 


EDWARD  EVERETT. 


all  kinds  contain  devout  recognitions  of  a  divine  Providence  in  the 
government  of  the  world,  and  his  whole  life  bears  witness  to  the 
influence  of  a  prevailing  sense  of  religious  responsibility.  *  *  * 

Posterity  will  not  be  left  without  a  faithful  representation  of  his 
person.  The  statue  by  Houdon  in  the  capitol  at  Richmond,  modelled 
at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  is  the  accepted  embodiment  of  his  counte 
nance  and  form,  and  has  been  followed  substantially  by  all  his  suc 
cessors,  in  several  monumental  works  of  distinguished  merit.  A  series 
of  portraits  by  able  artists,  from  the  age  of  thirty-eight  onwards, 
delineate  him  under  all  the  modifications  of  feature  and  person 
gradually  induced  by  the  advance  of  years.* 

In  the  final  contemplation  of  his  character,  we  shall  not  hesitate 
to  pronounce  Washington,  of  all  men  that  have  ever  lived,  THE 

GREATEST    OF    GOOD    MEN    AND    THE    BEST    OF    GREAT    MEN.      Nor  let  this 

judgment  be  attributed  to  national  partiality.  In  the  year  1797,  Mr. 
Rufus  King,  then  the  American  minister  in  London,  wrote  to  General 
Hamilton,  "  No  one  who  has  not  been  in  England,  can  have  a  just  idea 
of  the  admiration  expressed  among  all  parties  for  General  Washington. 
It  is  a  common  observation,  that  he  is  not  only  the  most  illustrious,  but 

*  One  of  these  portraits — a  full  length — was  painted  from  life  at  Philadelphia,  in  1796, 
by  Gilbert  Stuart,  at  the  instance  of  William  Bingham  of  that  city,  for  presentation  to  the 
Marquis  of  Lansdowne.  This  picture  is  still  in  England,  but  is  known  in  this  country  by 
copies  made  by  Stuart,  one  of  which,  painted  for  Mr.  Bingham,  is  now  owned  by  the  "  Penn 
sylvania  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts.''  The  Marquis,  in  a  letter  to  Major  William  Jackson, 
dated  London,  March  5th,  1797,  after  alluding  to  the  picture  as  "in  every  respect  worthy  of 
the  original,"  writes:  " General  Washington's  conduct  is  above  all  praise.  He  has  left  a 
noble  example  to  sovereigns  and  nations,  present  and  to  come.  I  beg  you  will  mention  both 
me  and  my  sons  to  him  in  the  most  respectful  terms  possible.  If  I  was  not  too  old,  I  would 
go  to  Virginia  to  do  him  homage." — ED. 


EDWARD  EVERETT.  303 

the  most  meritorious  character  that  has  yet  appeared."  Lord  Erskine, 
in  writing  to  Washington  about  the  same  time,  says,  "  You  are  the 
only  human  being  for  whom  I  ever  felt  an  awful  reverence."*  Mr. 
Charles  James  Fox  remarks  of  him,  that  "  A  character  of  virtues,  so 
happily  tempered  by  one  another  and  so  wholly  unalloyed  by  any 
vices,  as  that  of  Washington,  is  hardly  to  be  found  on  the  pages  of 
history."f  Lord  Brougham,  in  his  brilliant  comparative  sketch  of 
Napoleon  and  Washington,  after  a  glowing  picture  of  the  virtues  and 
vices  of  the  great  modern  conqueror,  exclaims,  "  How  grateful  the 
relief,  which  the  friend  of  mankind,  the  lover  of  virtue,  experiences, 
when,  turning  from  the  contemplation  of  such  a  character,  his  eye 
rests  upon  the  greatest  man  of  our  own  or  of  any  age,  the  only  one 
upon  whom  an  epithet,  so  thoughtlessly  lavished  by  men,  may  be  inno 
cently  and  justly  bestowed  !"t  Nor  are  these  testimonies  confined  to 
Englishmen,  in  whom  they  might  be  supposed  to  be  inspired,  in  some 
degree,  by  Anglo-Saxon  sympathy.  When  the  news  of  his  death 
reached  France,  Fontanes,  by  direction  of  Napoleon,  delivered  an  elo 
quent  eulogium,  in  which  he  declared  him  to  be  "  a  character  worthy 
the  best  days  of  antiquity."f  M.  Guizot.f  a  far  higher  authority,  in 
his  admirable  essay  on  the  character  of  Washington,  pronounces  that 

*  The  letter  from  Erskine  to  Washington,  dated  London,  15  March,  1797,  said  to  have 
been  written  on  a  blank  page  of  his  pamphlet,  entitled  A  View  of  the  Causes  and  Conse 
quences  of  the  present  War  with  France,  is  as  follows  :  "  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  intro 
duce  your  august  and  immortal  name  in  a  short  sentence  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  book  I 
send  to  you.  I  have  a  large  acquaintance  among  the  most  valuable  and  exalted  classes  of 
men ;  but  you  are  the  only  human  being  for  whom  I  ever  felt  an  awful  reverence.  I  sin 
cerely  pray  God  to  grant  a  long  and  serene  evening  to  a  life  so  gloriously  devoted  to  the  uni 
versal  happiness  of  the  world." — ED., 

|  See  pages  46,  206,  97,  227. — ED. 


304  EDWARD  EVERETT. 

"Of  all  great  men  he  was  the  most  virtuous  and   the  most  fortu 
nate."* 

The  comparison  of  Napoleon  and  Washington  suggests  a  remark 
on  the  military  character  of  the  latter,  who  is  frequently  disparaged  in 
contrast  with  the  great  chieftains  of  ancient  and  modern  times.  But 
no  comparison  can  be  instituted  to  any  valuable  purpose  between  indi 
viduals,  which  does  not  extend  to  the  countries  and  periods  in  which 
they  lived  and  to  the  means  at  their  command.  When  these  circum 
stances  are  taken  into  the  account,  Washington,  as  a  chieftain,  I  am 
inclined  to  think,  will  sustain  the  comparison  with  any  other  of  ancient 
or  modern  time.  A  recent  judicious  French  writer  (M.  Edouard 
Laboulaye),  though  greatly  admiring  the  character  of  Washington, 
denies  him  the  brilliant  military  genius  of  Julius  Caesar.  It  is,  to  say 
the  least,  as  certain  that  Julius  Caesar,  remaining  in  other  respects 
what  he  was,  could  not  have  conducted  the  American  Revolution  to 
a  successful  issue,  as  that  Washington  could  not  have  subdued  Gaul, 
thrown  an  army  into  Great  Britain,  or  gained  the  battle  of  Pharsalia. 
No  one  has  ever  denied  to  Washington  the  possession  of  the  highest 

*  This  foreign  appreciation  is  gracefully  alluded  to  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  a  letter  to 
Washington,  dated  Passy,  5.  March,  1780,  in  which  he  urges  him  to  visit  Europe  should  peace 
arrive  after  another  campaign  or  two,  and  then  says :  "  You  would,  on  this  side  of  the  sea, 
enjoy  the  great  reputation  you  have  acquired,  pure  and  free  from  those  little  shades  that  the 
jealousy  and  envy  of  a  man's  countrymen  and  contemporaries  are  ever  endeavoring  to  cast 
over  living  merit.  Here  you  would  know,  and  enjoy,  what  posterity  will  say  of  Washington. 
For  a  thousand  leagues  have  nearly  the  same  effect  with  a  thousand  years.  The  feeble  voice 
of  those  grovelling  passions  cannot  extend  so  far  either  in  time  or  distance.  At  present  I 
enjoy  that  pleasure  for  you ;  as  I  frequently  hear  the  old  generals  of  this  martial  country,  who 
study  the  maps  of  America,  and  mark  upon  them  all  your  operations,  speak  with  sincere 
approbation  and  great  applause  of  your  conduct ;  and  join  in  giving  you  the  character  of  one 
of  the  greatest  captains  of  the  age." — ED. 


EDWARD  EVERETT.  305 


degree  of  physical  and  moral  courage ;  no  one  has  ever  accused  him 
of  missing  an  opportunity  to  strike  a  bold  blow;  no  one  has  pointed 
out  a  want  of  vigor  in  the  moment  of  action,  or  of  forethought  in  the 
plans  of  his  campaigns;  in  short,  no  one  has  alleged  a  fact,  from  which 
it  can  be  made  even  probable  that  Napoleon  or  Caesar,  working  with 
his  means  and  on  his  field  of  action,  could  have  wrought  out  greater 
or  better  results  than  he  did,  or  that,  if  he  had  been  placed  on  a  field 
of  action  and  with  a  command  of  means  like  theirs,  he  would  have 
shown  himself  unequal  to  the  position. 

There  is,  in  this  respect,  a  great  mistake  on  the  subject  of  Wash 
ington's  temperament,  which  was  naturally  sanguine.  Traditionary 
accounts,  which  must,  however,  be  received  with  great  caution  as  far 
as  particular  anecdotes  are  concerned,  authorize  the  belief  that,  in 
early  life  at  least,  he  habitually  waged  a  strenuous  warfare  with  his 
own  ardent  temper.  At  all  events,  while  he  was  placed  in  circum 
stances,  in  both  his  wars,  which  forced  upon  him  the  Fabian  policy, 
there  were  occasions,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  narration,  when. he  seized 
the  opportunity  of  making  what,  if  it  had  failed,  would  have  been  called 
a  rash  movement.  This  showed  him  the  possessor  of  an  expansive 
capacity ;  conforming  patiently  to  straits,  and  keeping  good  heart  in 
adversity,  but  ready  at  a  moment  of  change  to  move  with  vigor  and 
power.  When  we  add  to  this  an  unquestioned  fondness  for  the  mili 
tary  profession,  who  can  doubt  that,  if  he  had  been  trained  in  the 
great  wars  of  Europe,  he  would  have  proved  himself  equal  to  their 
severest  tests  ?  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  from  his  youth  upward 
he  evinced  military  capacity  beyond  that  of  all  the  trained  and  expe 
rienced  officers,  with  whom  he  was  associated  or  brought  in  conflict. 
39 


306  EDWARD  EVERETT. 

The  neglect  of  his  advice  in  1755  cost  the  veteran  Braddock  his  army 
and  his  life,  and  threw  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  into  the  power  of  the 
French  ;  and  all  the  skill  and  energy  visible  in  the  operations  of  General 
Forbes  by  which  it  was  recovered,  in  1758,  were  infused  into  them  by 
Washington. 

Akin  to  the  argument  against  his  military  capacity,  is  the  ques 
tion  whether,  generally  speaking,  Washington  was  a  man  of  genius, 
— a  question  not  to  be  answered  till  that  word  is  explained.  Dr. 
Johnson  calls  it,  "  that  power  which  constitutes  a  poet,"  and  in  that 
acceptation  Washington  certainly  was  not  endowed  with  it.  As 
little  did  he  possess  the  genius  of  the  orator,  the  man  of  letters,  the 
sculptor,  the  painter,  the  musician.  The  term  is  so  habitually,  not  to 
say  exclusively,  appropriated  to  that  native  power  which  enables  men 
to  excel  in  science,  literature,  and  the  fine  arts,  that  those  who  are 
destitute  of  it  in  these  departments  are  often  declared  to  want  it 
altogether.  But  there  is  a  genius  of  political  and  military  skill;  of 
social  influence,  of  personal  ascendency,  of  government; — a  genius  for 
practical  utility;  a  moral  genius  of  true  heroism,  of  unselfish  patriotism, 
and  of  stern  public  integrity,  which  is  as  strongly  marked  an  endow 
ment  as  those  gifts  of  intellect,  imagination,  and  taste,  which  constitute 
the  poet  or  the  artist.  Without  adopting  Virgil's  magnificent  but 
scornful  contrast  between  scientific  and  literary  skill,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  those  masterful  arts  on  the  other,  by  which  victories  are  gained 
and  nations  are  governed,  we  must  still  admit,  that  the  chieftain  who, 
in  spite  of  obstacles  the  most  formidable,  and  vicissitudes  the  most  dis 
tressing,  conducts  great  wars  to  successful  issues, — that  the  statesman 
who  harmonizes  angry  parties  in  peace,  skilfully  moderates  the  counsels 


EDWARD  EVERETT.  307 

of  constituent  assemblies,  and,  without  the  resources  of  rhetoric  but 
by  influence  mightier  than  authority,  secures  the  formation  and  organi 
zation  of  governments,  and  in  their  administration  establishes  the 
model  of  official  conduct  for  all  following  time,  is  endowed  with  a 
divine  principle  of  thought  and  action,  as  distinct  in  its  kind  as  that  of 
Demosthenes  or  Milton.  It  is  the  genius  of  a  consummate  manhood. 
Analysis  may  describe  its  manifestations  in  either  case,  but  cannot 
define  the  ulterior  principle.  It  is  a  final  element  of  character.  We 
may  speak  of  prudence,  punctuality,  and  self-control,  of  bravery  and 
disinterestedness,  as  we  speak  of  an  eye  for  color  and  a  perception  of 
the  graceful  in  the  painter,  a  sensibility  to  the  sublime,  the  pathetic, 
and  the  beautiful  in  discourse ;  but  behind  and  above  all  these  there 
must  be  a  creative  and  animating  principle;  at  least  as  much  in  char 
acter  as  in  intellect  or  art.  The  qualities  which  pertain  to  genius  are 
not  the  whole  of  genius  in  the  one  case  any  more  than  the  other. 
The  arteries,  the  lungs,  and  the  nerves  are  essential  to  life,  but  they 
are  not  life  itself, — that  higher  something,  which  puts  all  the  organic 
functions  of  the  frame  in  motion.  In  the  possession  of  that  mysterious 
quality  of  character,  manifested  in  a  long  life  of  unambitious  service, 
which,  called  by  whatever  name,  inspires  the  confidence,  commands 
the  respect,  and  wins  the  affection  of  contemporaries,  and  grows  upon 
the  admiration  of  successive  generations,  forming  a  standard  to  which 
the  merit  of  other  men  is  referred,  and  a  living  proof  that  pure 
patriotism  is  not  a  delusion,  nor  virtue  an  empty  name,  no  one  of  the 
sons  of  men  has  equalled  George  Washington. 

EDWARD  EVERETT,  scholar  and  orator,  was  born  at  Dorchester,  Mass.,  April  n,  1794, 


308  EDWARD  EVERETT. 

and  died  at  Boston,  January  15,  1865.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1811,  and  after 
two  years  preparatory  study  was  ordained  (Feb.  9,  1814,)  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen,  pastor 
of  the  Brattle  Street,  (Boston)  Unitarian  Church.  In  1815  he  was  elected  professor  of  Greek 
language  and  literature  in  Harvard,  and  became  president  of  the  university  in  1846,  serving 
for  three  years.  Mr.  Everett  was  a  member  of  Congress  1825-35,  governor  of  Mass.  1836-40, 
minister  to  England  1841-45,  secretary  of  state  from  Nov.  1852  to  March  1853,  and  U.  S. 
Senator  from  that  time  until  May  1854,  when  he  retired  to  private  life  on  account  of  ill  health. 
His  practical  assistance  in  aid  of  the  movement  for  the  purchase  of  Mount  Vernon,  is  one  of 
the  most  notable  features  in  the  history  of  its  acquisition  by  "The  Mount  Vernon  Ladies' 
Association,"  the  present  custodians.  His  oration  on  "The  Character  of  Washington,"  first 
delivered  before  the  "Mercantile  Library  Association  of  Boston,"  February  22,  1856,  and 
afterwards  repeated  at  intervals  till  the  spring  of  1861,  in  all  the  principal  towns  and  cities  of 
the  country,  together  with  his  contributions  to  the  Nnv  York  Ledger 'in  1858, realized  for  the 
fund  nearly  seventy  thousand  dollars.  Taking  into  consideration  the  labor  and  discomfort 
inseparable  to  such  an  undertaking,  the  lecture  having  been  delivered  at  least  one  hundred 
and  thirty  times,  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  a  greater  example  of  unwearied  industry, 
and  unselfish  devotion,  can  be  cited.  The  "  Life  of  George  Washington,"  from  which  we 
quote,  published  at  Boston  in  1860,  I2mo,  was  written  by  Mr.  Everett  at  the  suggestion  of 
Lord  Macaulay,  for  the  eighth  edition  of  the  "Encyclopaedia  Britannica,"  in  which  it  appears. 


GEORGE  W.  P.  CUSTIS. 

1860. 

THE  person  of  Washington,  always  graceful,  dignified,  and  com 
manding,  showed  to  peculiar  advantage  when  mounted;  it  exhibited, 
indeed,  the  \zry~beau  ideal  of  a  perfect  cavalier.  The  good  Lafayette, 
during  his  last  visit  to  America,  delighted  to  discourse  of  the  "  times 
that  tried  men's  souls."  From  the  venerated  friend  of  our  country 
we  derived  a  most  graphic  description  of  Washington  and  the  field  of 
battle.  Lafayette  said,  "At  Monmouth  I  commanded  a  division,  and, 
it  maybe  supposed,  I  was  pretty  well  occupied;  still  I  took  time,  amid 
the  roar  and  confusion  of  the  conflict,  to  admire  our  beloved  chief, 
who,  mounted  on  a  splendid  charger,  rode  along  the  ranks  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  soldiers,  cheering  them  by  his  voice  and  example, 
and  restoring  to  our  standard  the  fortunes  of  the  fight.  I  thought 
then  as  now,"  continued  Lafayette,  "that  never  had  I  beheld  so  superb 
a  man."  *  *  *  * 

At  the  grand  dinner  given  at  the  headquarters  (Yorktown)  to  the 
officers  of  the  three  armies,  Washington  filled  his  glass,  and,  after  his 
invariable  toast,  whether  in  peace  or  war,  of  "All  our  friends,"  gave 
"The  British  Army,"  with  some  complimentary  remarks  upon  its 
chief,  his  proud  career  in  arms,  and  his  gallant  defence  of  Yorktown. 
When  it  came  to  Cornwallis's  turn,  he  prefaced  his  toast  by  saying 
that  the  war  was  virtually  at  an  end,  and  the  contending  parties  would 

(309) 


3io  GEORGE  W.  P.  CUSTIS. 

soon  embrace  as  friends ;  there  might  be  affairs  of  posts,  but  nothing 
on  a  more  enlarged  scale,  as  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the 
ministry  would  send  another  army  to  America.  Then  turning  to 
Washington,  his  lordship  continued:  "And  when  the  illustrious  part 
that  your  excellency  has  borne  in  this  long  and  arduous  contest  be 
comes  matter  of  history,  fame  will  gather  your  brightest  laurels  rather 
from  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  than  from  those  of  the  Chesapeake." 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS,  grandson  of  Mrs.  Washington,  and  adopted 
son  of  Washington,  was  born  April  30,  1781,  and  died  at  Arlington,  October  10,  1857.  His 
early  home  was  at  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  Custis  wrote  some  orations  and  plays,  and  executed 
some  paintings  of  Revolutionary  battles.  His  "  Recollections  and  private  Memoirs  of  Wash 
ington,"  from  which  we  quote,  were  published  at  New  York  in  1860.  8vo. 


THE  ATHEN^UM. 
1860. 

EXTRACT  FROM  A  NOTICE  OF  RECOLLECTIONS  AND  PRIVATE  MEMOIRS  OF  WASH 
INGTON,  BY  HIS  ADOPTED  SON  GEORGE  WASHINGTON   PARKE  CUSTIS,  IN  THE  ATHEN/EUM, 

LONDON,  MAY  5,  1860. 

ALL  the  many  attempts  to  throw  a  halo  of  romance  about  the 
private  life  of  Washington  have  failed.  Apart  from  his  public  career, 
he  was  as  uninteresting  a  character  as  one  can  easily  conceive.  Cold, 
prudent,  plodding,  a  painstaking  farmer,  fond  of  field-sports,  and  highly 
respectable,  he  was  a  type  of  a  sober,  well-disposed  country  gentleman. 
His  appearance  was  very  imposing,  and  on  horseback  he  looked  "a 
king  of  men."  But  notwithstanding  his  "grand  air,"  he  was  little  cal 
culated  to  shine  in  society.  His  early  education  had  been  picked  up 
at  inferior  schools,  and  he  had  not  done  much  to  supply  the  deficien 
cies  of  juvenile  training.  He  had  no  wit,  no  humour,  no  readiness  in 
conversation.  Sound  common  sense  (as  we  are  wont  to  name  about 
the  most  uncommon  of  faculties)  was  his  distinguishing  mental  charac 
teristic,  just  as  inflexible  probity  was  his  great  moral  endowment.  He 
had  not  the  genius  requisite  for  a  brilliant  speaker;  but  as  he  never 
spoke  on  any  subject  until  he  had  conscientiously  considered  it  from 
every  point  of  view,  and  as  he  brought  to  the  consideration  of  a  public 
question  the  same  practical  sagacity  which  he  displayed  so  success- 


3 1 2  THE  A  THEN^EUM. 


fully  in  the  management  of  his  private  affairs,  he  never  opened  his  lips 
in  debate  without  exercising  great  influence  on  his  hearers. 

The  secret  of  his  glory  lies  in  the  fact  that  his  sterling  honesty 
placed  him  high  above  the  pettiness  of  personal  ambition.  Raised  in 
the  troublous  times  of  revolution  to  the  position  of  Dictator  to  a 
powerful  people,  he  kept  unbroken  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his 
fellow  citizens.  It  is  no  detraction  from  his  merit  to  say  that  any 
other  course  would  have  led  him  to  ruin, — that  a  career  of  successful 
usurpation  was  an  impossibility  to  any  adventurer  amongst  the 
American  colonists, — and  that  had  any  set  of  infatuated  partizans  suc 
ceeded  for  a  day  in  establishing  a  Washington  dynasty,  it  would  have 
been  speedily  swept  away  by  the  combined  forces  of  the  Republican 
and  Tory  parties,  and  the  cause  of  liberty  in  the  revolted  colonies 
would  have  lost  that  invaluable  moral  support  which  it  enjoyed  in 
every  civilized  country  of  the  world.  But  honour,  not  less  than  pru 
dence,  precluded  Washington  from  entertaining  any  foolish  design  of 
personal  aggrandizement.  After  a  long  experience  Jefferson  said  of 
him,  "His  integrity  was  most  pure;  his  justice  the  most  inflexible  I 
have  ever  known, — no  motives  of  interest  or  consanguinity,  of  friend 
ship  or  hatrad,  being  able  to  bias  his  decision."*  And  in  consequence 
of  this  integrity,  he  was  "the  only  man  in  the  United  States  who 
possessed  the  confidence  of  all,  there  being  no  other  man  who  was 
considered  as  anything  more  than  a  party  leader."  He  was  surrounded 
by  more  brilliant  men,  but  out  of  them  all — orators,  wits,  scholars — 
there  was  not  one  so  fit  to  be  trusted.  Politicans  of  every  school  knew 

*  See  page  168. — ED. 


THE  A  THEN^EUM.  3 1 3 


that  he  was  a  plain,  sober,  guileless  gentleman,  who  would  to  the  best 
of  his  ability  fulfil  his  instructions,  but  could  be  induced  to  exceed 
them  by  no  bribe  of  fame,  or  power,  or  flattery. 

Few  public  characters  have  been  so  fortunate  as  Washington. 
The  sympathy  which  men  of  generous  natures  throughout  Europe  felt 
for  his  cause  took  the  form  of  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the  man;  and 
when,  his  work  accomplished,  he  returned  to  the  position  of  a  private 
citizen,  in  every  quarter  were  resounded  the  praises  of  one  who,  with 
unprecedented  magnanimity,  had  declined  to  seize  a  crown  that  he 
might  (as  it  was  erroneously  imagined)  safely  have  grasped.  Lord 
Erskine  said  that  he  could  not  reflect  on  such  a  character  without  a 
sensation  "of  awe;"  and  Lord  Brougham  has  spoken  of  him  as  "the 
greatest  of  great  men."  The  philosophic  moderation,  however,  that 
elicited  these  eulogies,  consisted  solely  in  freedom  from  a  foolish 
ambition,  that  could  never  have  obtained  its  object. 


40 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER. 

1860. 

THE  personal  qualities  of  this  illustrious  man  have  so  often  been 
delineated,  that  it  seems  almost  a  superfluous  task  to  attempt  a 
description  of  them.  His  best  and  most  accurate  portrait  is  to  be 
derived  from  the  examination  of  the  actions  which  he  performed,  and 
of  the  results  which  he  accomplished.  The  intellectual  character  of 
Washington  was  peculiar.  Though  he  became  the  triumphant  hero 
of  a  long  and  arduous  war,  his  military  talents  were  not  of  the  highest 
order.  In  this  respect  he  was  inferior  to  many  men  who,  in  the 
career  of  arms,  have  achieved  far  less  renown  than  he.  He  possessed 
little  power  of  strategy,  little  of  that  promptness  and  intuitive  sagacity 
which  enables  a  commander  to  adapt  himself  to  the  sudden  and  unex 
pected  emergencies  which  occur  in  the  crises  of  great  engagements. 
In  this  respect,  if  his  plan  of  battle  was  once  deranged  by  unforseen 
accidents,  he  was  unable  to  readjust  the  machinery  of  his  army,  or  to 
confront  and  confound  the  operations  of  the  foe  by  new  and  instan 
taneous  combinations  adapted  to  the  emergency.*  In  this  respect 
Marlborough,  Saxe,  Prince  Eugene,  Frederick  the  Great,  Napoleon, 
were  all  infinitely  his  superiors. 

The  chief  military  ability  of  Washington  consisted  in  the  prudence 

*  Compare  Thomas  Jefferson,  page  168. — ED. 
(3H) 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER.  315 

and  skill  with  which  he  adjusted  the  details  of  an  assault  on  an  enemy 
who  was  posted  in  a  firm  position ;  and  the  energy  and  perseverance 
with  which  he  persisted  in  the  subsequent  attack.  Thus  he  was 
triumphant  over  the  British  at  Boston  and  Yorktown,  and  achieved 
brilliant  successes  there,  because  he  was  enabled  to  prepare  his  plans 
of  attack,  and  to  adhere  to  them,  without  the  possibility  of  having 
them  disarranged  by  sudden  and  unforseen  movements  of  the  enemy. 
His  personal  bravery  was  unquestionable;  and  he  faced  danger  and 
death  with  the  most  perfect  fortitude  and  indifference,  when  honor 
and  duty  required  him  so  to  do.  His  most  prominent  characteristic 
as  a  military  commander,  was  his  prudence;  and  it  is  probable  that 
this  solid  quality  was  more  available,  under  the  existing  circumstances, 
in  weakening  the  foe  by  long  delays,  by  harassing  evasions,  by  cau 
tious  postponements  of  decisive  actions,  than  by  those  more  brilliant 
and  showy  talents  which  would  have  risked  the  fate  of  vast  and 
important  interests  upon  the  issue  of  a  few  rash  and  imprudent 
conflicts. 

A  prominent  element  in  the  greatness  of  Washington  consisted 
in  the  fact  that,  with  respectable  military  talents,  he  combined  far 
higher  and  greater  abilities  for  the  administration  of  government. 
He  was  placed  at  the  head  of  this  Confederacy  at  the  most  difficult 
and  perilous  period  of  its  past  career;  when  a  thousand  hostile  and 
rival  interests  among  the  States,  and  between  the  separate  States  and 
the  Federal  Government,  and  between  the  Federal  Government  and 
the  continental  troops,  and  between  several  political  factions  in  the 
Government,  rendered  it  impossible  so  to  steer  as  fully  to  meet  the 
views  and  satisfy  the  demands  of  all  parties.  Yet  that  result  was 


3i6  SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER. 

attained  by  Washington  in  a  remarkable  degree;  and  when,  after  an 
administration  of  eight  eventful  years,  he  retired  from  the  Presidency, 
he  left  the  Republic  in  a  compact  and  united  condition;  the  com 
munity  at  large  flourishing  and  prosperous;  and  their  reputation 
among  foreign  nations  as  a  young  and  vigorous  empire,  unspotted, 
greatly  respected,  and  destined  to  achieve  with  the  lapse  of  time,  a 
high  and  glorious  position  among  the  oldest  communities  on  the 
globe.  The  triumphs  of  Washington  as  a  civil  and  executive  officer 
were  far  more  honorable  than  even  those  attained  by  him  on  the 
battle-field. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  therefore,  his  character  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  estimable  that  ever  existed  among  men.  His  pre 
dominating  political  attribute  was  Patriotism.  His  leading  intellectual 
faculty  was  Sagacity.  His  chief  social  characteristics  were  Prudence 
and  Self-control.  His  prominent  moral  qualities  were  Honesty  and 
Conscientiousness.  And  all  the  several  parts  of  his  nature  were  com 
bined  together  and  proportioned  in  so  admirable  and  equitable  a 
measure,  that  he  constituted  a  grand  and  harmonious  Whole,  such  as 
is  rarely  exhibited  in  the  chequered  annals  of  this  world's  history. 
Many  great  and  illustrious  men  have  equalled  George  Washington  in 
some  one  or  other  single  quality;  but  scarcely  any  man  of  ancient  or 
modern  times  possessed  a  mental  and  moral  constitution  of  such 
admirable  proportions,  or  of  such  beautiful,  complete,  and  uniform 
development.  Nature  formed  him  truly  great;  but  the  peculiar  cir 
cumstances  in  which  he  was  placed — first  of  war  and  then  of  peace — 
conspired  to  render  him,  as  possessing  such  faculties,  greater  still ; 
until  his  position  became  at  length  firmly  fixed  among  the  few  mortals 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER.  317 

whose  majestic  forms  loom  up  sublimely  through  all  times  and  ages, 
as  specimens  of  spotless,  peerless  and  almost  perfect  Humanity. 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER  was  born  at  Newmarket,  Virginia,  January  12,  1823,  and  died 
at  Philadelphia,  May  12,  1863.  He  graduated  at  Washington  College,  Pa.,  in  1840,  studied 
theology  in  the  Gettysburg  Theological  Seminary,  and  in  1842  was  licensed  by  the  Lutheran 
Synod,  to  preach  at  Bloomfield.  He  afterwards  preached  at  Lewistown,  Pa.,  and  in  German- 
town,  1845-48.  He  then  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar  in  January, 
1850,  but  occupied  himself  chiefly  in  literature.  His  "Life  of  George  Washington,"  from 
which  we  quote,  was  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1860.  I2mo. 


HENRY  ARMITT  BROWN. 

1878. 

AND  what  shall  I  say  of  him  who  bears  on  his  heart  the  weight 
of  all  ?  Who  can  measure  the  anxieties  that  afflict  his  mind  ?  Who 
weigh  the  burdens  that  he  has  to  bear?  Who  but  himself  can  ever 
know  the  responsibilities  that  rest  upon  his  soul  ?  Behold  him  in  yon 
der  cottage,  his  lamp  burning  steadily  through  half  the  winter  night, 
his  brain  never  at  rest,  his  hand  always  busy,  his  pen  ever  at  work ; 
now  counselling  with  Greene  how  to  clothe  and  feed  the  troops,  or 
with  Steuben  how  to  reorganize  the  service;  now  writing  to  Howe 
about  exchanges,  or  to  Livingston  about  the  relief  of  prisoners,  or  to 
Clinton  about  supplies,  or  to  Congress  about  enlistments  or  promo 
tions  or  finances  or  the  French  Alliance;  opposing  foolish  and  rash 
counsels  to-day,  urging  prompt  and  rigorous  policies  to-morrow;  now 
calming  the  jealousy  of  Congress,  now  soothing  the  wounded  pride  of 
ill-used  officers ;  now  answering  the  complaints  of  the  civil  authority, 
and  now  those  of  the  starving  soldiers,  whose  sufferings  he  shares, 
and  by  his  cheerful  courage  keeping  up  the  hearts  of  both ;  repressing 
the  zeal  of  friends  to-day,  and  overcoming  with  steadfast  rectitude  the 
intrigues  of  enemies  in  Congress  and  in  camp  to-morrow;  bearing 
criticism  with  patience,  and  calumny  with  fortitude,  and,  lest  his 
country  should  suffer,  answering  both  only  with  plans  for  her  defence, 
of  which  others  are  to  reap  the  glory;  guarding  the  long  coast  with 
(318) 


HENR  Y  ARMITT  BRO  WN.  3 19 

ceaseless  vigilance,  and  watching  with  sleepless  eye  a  chance  to  strike 
the  enemy  in  front  a  blow;  a  soldier,  subordinating  the  military  to  the 
civil  power;  a  dictator,  as  mindful  of  the  rights  of  Tories  as  of  the 
wrongs  of  Whigs ;  a  statesman,  commanding  a  revolutionary  army ;  a 
patriot,  forgetful  of  nothing  but  himself;  this  is  he  whose  extraordi 
nary  virtues  only  have  kept  the  army  from  disbanding,  and  saved  his 
country's  cause.  Modest  in  the  midst  of  Pride;  Wise  in  the  midst  of 
Folly;  Calm  in  the  midst  of  Passion;  Cheerful  in  the  midst  of  Gloom; 
Steadfast  among  the  Wavering;  Hopeful  among  the  Despondent; 
Bold  among  the  Timid ;  Prudent  among  the  Rash ;  Generous  among 
the  Selfish;  True  among  the  Faithless;  Greatest  among  good  men, 
and  Best  among  the  Great — such  was  George  Washington  at  Valley 
Forge. 


HENRY  ARMITT  BROWN  was  born  at  Philadelphia,  December  i,  1844,  and  died  there 
August  21,  1878.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1865,  and  after  studying  law  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar  December  18,  1869.  Mr.  Brown  delivered  several  important 
historical  addresses,  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  forcible  writer,  and  an  accomplished  orator.  Our 
extract  is  from  his  "Oration  at  Valley  Forge,  June  19,  1878,  the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  departure  of  the  Army  of  the  Revolution  from  winter  quarters  at  that  place."  This 
oration  while  showing  the  careful  student,  and  earnest  patriot,  is  remarkable  for  its  graphic 
descriptions  and  historical  information.  It  is  printed  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  author  by  J.  M. 
Hoppin,  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1880.  8vo.  In  a  previous  oration  delivered  in  Car 
penters'  Hall,  Philadelphia,  September  5,  1874,  in  commemoration  of  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  meeting  of  the  Congress  of  1774,  Mr.  Brown  in  alluding  to  Washington, 
as  a  member,  said :  "  This  is  he  who  has  just  made  in  the  Virginia  Convention  that  speech 
which  Lynch  of  Carolina  says  is  the  most  eloquent  that  ever  was  made :  '  I  will  raise  a 
thousand  men,  subsist  them  at  my  own  expense,  and  march  with  them,  at  their  head,  for 
the  relief  of  Boston.'  These  were  his  words — and  his  name  is  Washington." 


JOHN   RICHARD  GREEN. 

1880. 

WITH  the  rejection  of  these  efforts  for  conciliation,*  began  the 
great  struggle  which  ended  eight  years  later  in  the  severance  of  the 
American  Colonies  from  the  British  Crown.  The  Congress  of  delegates 
from  the  Colonial  Legislatures  at  once  voted  measures  for  general 
defence,  ordered  the  levy  of  an  army,  and  set  George  Washington  at 
its  head.  No  nobler  figure  ever  stood  in  the  forefront  of  a  nation's 
life.  Washington  was  grave  and  courteous  in  address;  his  manners 
were  simple  and  unpretending;  his  silence  and  the  serene  calmness  of 
his  temper  spoke  of  a  perfect  self-mastery.  But  there  was  little  in  his 
outer  bearing  to  reveal  the  grandeur  of  soul  which  lifts  his  figure 
with  all  the  simple  majesty  of  an  ancient  statue  out  of  the  smaller 
passions,  the  meaner  impulses  of  the  world  around  him.  What 
recommended  him  for  command  was  simply  his  weight  among  his 
fellow  landowners  of  Virginia,  and  the  experience  of  war  which  he 
had  gained  by  service  in  border  contests  with  the  French  and  the 
Indians,  as  well  as  in  Braddock's  luckless  expedition  against  Fort 
Duquesne.  It  was  only  as  the  weary  fight  went  on  that  the  colonists 
discovered,  however  slowly  and  imperfectly,  the  greatness  of  their 
leader,  his  clear  judgment,  his  heroic  endurance,  his  silence  under 

*  Measures  advocated  by  William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham,  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  by 
Edmund  Burke  in  the  House  of  Commons. — ED. 

(320) 


JOHN  RICHARD  GREEN  321 


difficulties,  his  calmness  in  the  hour  of  danger  or  defeat,  the  patience 
with  which  he  waited,  the  quickness  and  hardness  with  which  he 
struck,  the  lofty  and  serene  sense  of  duty  that  never  swerved  from 
its  task  through  resentment  or  jealousy,  that  never  through  war  or 
peace  felt  the  touch  of  a  meaner  ambition,  that  knew  no  aim  save  that 
of  guarding  the  freedom  of  his  fellow  countrymen,  and  no  personal 
longing  save  that  of  returning  to  his  own  fireside  when  their  freedom 
was  secured.  It  was  almost  unconsciously  that  men  learned  to  cling 
to  Washington  with  a  trust  and  faith  such  as  few  other  men  have  won, 
and  to  regard  him  with  a  reverence  which  still  hushes  us  in  presence 
of  his  memory.  But  even  America  hardly  recognized  his  real  great 
ness  while  he  lived.  It  was  only  when  death  set  its  seal  on  him  that 
the  voice  of  those  whom  he  had  served  so  long  proclaimed  him  "  the 
man  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow 
countrymen." 


JOHN  RICHARD  GREEN  was  born  at  Oxford,  England,  in  1837,  and  died  at  Menton, 
France,  March  7,  1883.  He  was  educated  at  Magdalen  College  School,  and  when  about 
eighteen,  entered  for  a  scholarship  at  Jesus  College.  After  taking  his  degree  in  1860,  he 
entered  the  Ministry,  and  filled  several  charges.  In  1 868  he  commenced  collecting  materials 
for  his  "  History  of  the  English  People."  The  work  appeared  about  1874  in  one  volume, 
but  was  afterwards  recast  on  a  larger  scale,  and  published  at  intervals  from  1877  to  1880,  in 
4  vols.,  8vo,  from  Chapter  ii,  Book  ix,  of  which  we  quote. 


WILLIAM  E.  H.  LECKY. 

1882. 

To  the  appointment  of  Washington,  far  more  than  to  any  other 
single  circumstance,  is  due  the  ultimate  success  of  the  American 
Revolution,  though  in  purely  intellectual  powers,  Washington  was 
certainly  inferior  to  Franklin,  and  perhaps  to  two  or  three  other  of  his 
colleagues.  There  is  a  theory  which  once  received  the  countenance 
of  some  considerable  physiologists,  though  it  is  now,  I  believe,  com 
pletely  discarded,  that  one  of  the  great  lines  of  division  among  men 
may  be  traced  to  the  comparative  development  of  the  cerebrum  and 
the  cerebellum.  To  the  first  organ  it  was  supposed  belong  those 
special  gifts  or  powers  which  make  men  poets,  orators,  thinkers,  artists, 
conquerors,  or  wits.  To  the  second  belong  the  superintending, 
restraining,  discerning,  and  directing  faculties  which  enable  men  to 
employ  their  several  talents  with  sanity  and  wisdom,  which  maintain 
the  balance  and  the  proportion  of  intellect  and  character,  and  make 
sound  judgments  and  well-regulated  lives.  The  theory,  however  untrue 
in  its  physiological  aspect,  corresponds  to  a  real  distinction  in  human 
minds  and  characters,  and  it  was  especially  in  the  second  order  of 
faculties  that  Washington  excelled.  His  mind  was  not  quick  or 
remarkably  original.  His  conversation  had  no  brilliancy  or  wit.  He 
was  entirely  without  the  gift  of  eloquence,  and  he  had  very  few 
accomplishments.  He  knew  no  language  but  his  own,  and  except  for 
(322) 


WILLIAM  E.  H.  LECKY.  323 

a  rather  strong  turn  for  mathematics,  he  had  no  taste  which  can  be 
called  purely  intellectual.  There  was  nothing  in  him  of  the  meteor  or 
the  cataract,  nothing  that  either  dazzled  or  overpowered.  A  courteous 
and  hospitable  country  gentleman,  a  skilful  farmer,  a  very  keen  sports 
man,  he  probably  differed  little  in  tastes  and  habits  from  the  better 
members  of  the  class  to  which  he  belonged ;  and  it  was  in  a  great 
degree  in  the  administration  of  a  large  estate  and  in  assiduous  attention 
to  county  and  provincial  business  that  he  acquired  his  rare  skill  in 
reading  and  managing  men. 

As  a  soldier  the  circumstances  of  his  career  brought  him  into  the 
blaze  not  only  of  domestic,  but  of  foreign  criticism,  and  it  was  only 
very  gradually  that  his  superiority  was  fully  recognised.  Lee,  who  of 
all  American  soldiers  had  seen  most  service  in  the  English  army,  and 
Conway,  who  had  risen  to  great  repute  in  the  French  army,  were  both 
accustomed  to  speak  of  his  military  talents  with  extreme  disparage 
ment;  but  personal  jealousy  and  animosity  undoubtedly  coloured  their 
judgments.  Kalb,  who  had  been  trained  in  the  best  military  schools 
of  the  Continent,  at  first  pronounced  him  to  be  very  deficient  in  the 
strength,  decision,  and  promptitude  of  a  general;  and,  although  he 
soon  learnt  to  form  the  highest  estimate  of  his  military  capacity,  he 
continued  to  lament  that  an  excessive  modesty  led  him  too  frequently 
to  act  upon  the  opinion  of  inferior  men,  rather  than  upon  his  own 
most  excellent  judgment.  In  the  army  and  the  Congress  more  than 
one  rival  was  opposed  to  him.  He  had  his  full  share  of  disaster;  the 
operations  which  he  conducted,  if  compared  with  great  European 
wars,  were  on  a  very  small  scale;  and  he  had  the  immense  advantage 
of  encountering  in  most  cases  generals  of  singular  incapacity.  It 


324  WILLIAM  E.  H.  LECKY. 

may,  however,  be  truly  said  of  him  that  his  military  reputation  steadily 
rose  through  many  successive  campaigns,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
struggle  he  had  outlived  all  rivalry,  and  almost  all  envy.  He  had  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  technical  part  of  his  profession,  a  good  eye 
for  military  combinations,  an  extraordinary  gift  of  military  administra 
tion.  Punctual,  methodical,  and  exact  in  the  highest  degree,  he 
excelled  in  managing  those  minute  details  which  are  so  essential  to 
the  efficiency  of  an  army,  and  he  possessed  to  an  eminent  degree  not 
only  the  common  courage  of  a  soldier,  but  also  that  much  rarer  form 
of  courage  which  can  endure  long-continued  suspense,  bear  the  weight 
of  great  responsibility,  and  encounter  the  risks  of  misrepresentation 
and  unpopularity.  For  several  years,  and  usually  in  the  neighborhood 
of  superior  forces,  he  commanded  a  perpetually  fluctuating  army, 
almost  wholly  destitute  of  discipline  and  respect  for  authority,  torn 
by  the  most  violent  personal  and  provincial  jealousies,  wretchedly 
armed,  wretchedly  clothed,  and  sometimes  in  imminent  danger  of  star 
vation.  Unsupported  for  the  most  part  by  the  population  among 
whom  he  was  quartered,  and  incessantly  thwarted  by  the  jealousy  of 
Congress,  he  kept  his  army  together  by  a  combination  of  skill,  firm 
ness,  patience,  and  judgment  which  has  rarely  been  surpassed,  and  he 
led  it  at  last  to  a  signal  triumph. 

In  civil  as  in  military  life,  he  was  pre-eminent  among  his  contem 
poraries  for  the  clearness  and  soundness  of  his  judgment,  for  his 
perfect  moderation  and  self-control,  for  the  quiet  dignity  and  the 
indomitable  firmness  with  which  he  pursued  every  path  which  he 
had  deliberately  chosen.  Of  all  the  great  men  in  history  he  was  the 
most  invariably  judicious,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  rash  word  or  action 


WILLIAM  E.  H.  LECKY.  325 

or  judgment  recorded  of  him.  Those  who  knew  him  well,  noticed 
that  he  had  keen  sensibilities  and  strong  passions;  but  his  power  of 
self-command  never  failed  him,  and  no  act  of  his  public  life  can  be 
traced  to  personal  caprice,  ambition,  or  resentment.  In  the  despon 
dency  of  long-continued  failure,  in  the  elation  of  sudden  success,  at 
times  when  his  soldiers  were  deserting  by  hundreds  and  when  malig 
nant  plots  were  formed  against  his  reputation,  amid  the  constant 
quarrels,  rivalries,  and  jealousies  of  his  subordinates,  in  the  dark  hour 
of  national  ingratitude,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  most  universal  and 
intoxicating  flattery,  he  was  always  the  same  calm,  wise,  just,  and 
single-minded  man,  pursuing  the  course  which  he  believed  to  be  right, 
without  fear  or'  favour  or  fanaticism ;  equally  free  from  the  passions 
that  spring  from  interest,  and  from  the  passions  that  spring  from 
imagination.  He  never  acted  on  the  impulse  of  an  absorbing  or 
uncalculating  enthusiasm,  and  he  valued  very  highly  fortune,  position, 
and  reputation;  but  at  the  command  of  duty  he  was  ready  to  risk  and 
sacrifice  them  all.  He  was  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  words  a  gentle 
man  and  a  man  of  honour,  and  he  carried  into  public  life  the  severest 
standard  of  private  morals.  It  was  at  first  the  constant  dread  of  large 
sections  of  the  American  people,  that  if  the  old  Government  were 
overthrown,  they  would  fall  into  the  hands  of  military  adventurers,  and 
undergo  the  yoke  of  military  despotism.  It  was  mainly  the  trans 
parent  integrity  of  the  character  of  Washington  that  dispelled  the  fear. 
It  was  always  known  by  his  friends,  and  it  was  soon  acknowledged  by 
the  whole  nation  and  by  the  English  themselves,  that  in  Washington 
America  had  found  a  leader  who  could  be  induced  by  no  earthly 
motive  to  tell  a  falsehood,  or  to  break  an  engagement,  or  to  commit 


326  WILLIAM  E.  H.  LECKY. 

any  dishonourable  act.  Men  of  this  moral  type  are  happily  not  rare, 
and  we  have  all  met  them  in  our  experience;  but  there  is  scarcely 
another  instance  in  history  of  such  a  man  having  reached  and  main 
tained  the  highest  position  in  the  convulsions  of  civil  war  and  of  a 
great  popular  agitation. 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  HARTPOLE  LECKY  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Dublin,  Ireland, 
March  26,  1838,  and  was  educated  at  Trinity  College,  where  he  graduated  B.A.  in  1859, 
and  M.A.  in  1863.  Devoting  himself  to  literature,  he  soon  gained  great  distinction  as  an 
author.  His  "History  of  England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,"  from  which  we  quote,  was 
published  at  London  and  New  York  in  1878-82,  4  vols.,  8vo.  A  critic  (London  Spectator) 
says  of  the  author  and  this  work,  "  He  has  written  the  best  history  of  the  century,  has  corrected 
many  errors  of  his  predecessors,  and  his  manner  of  treatment  is  large,  philosophical,  and 
impartial."  All  of  his  works  have  been  translated  into  German,  and  some  of  them  into  other 
languages. 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS. 

1883. 

DOUBTLESS  the  American  Revolution  was  the  work  of  the  people, 
but  it  seems  the  work  of  a  man.  How  can  we  conceive  its  heroic 
prosecution,  its  triumphant  issue,  without  its  leader?  Had  he  fallen 
at  Trenton;  had  he  been  captured  by  Clinton;  had  intrigues  of  selfish 
ambition  prevailed  against  him;  had  he  not  nerved — he  alone — the 
hesitating  army  at  Newburgh,  who  dare  doubt  that  the  vision  of  the 
"one  far  off  divine  event"  that  drew  the  country  through  the  war, 
would  still  have  been  fulfilled?  But  what  American  does  not  know, 
and  proudly  own,  that  the  perpetual  and  inspiring  assurance  of  that 
event,  the  cheer  of  the  weary  march,  the  joy  of  the  victory,  the  con 
fidence  of  Congress,  the  pride  and  hope  of  America,  was  the  character 
of  Washington  ?  *  *  *  * 

To  lead  a  people  in  revolution  wisely  and  successfully,  without 
ambition  and  without  a  crime,  demands,  indeed,  lofty  genius  and 
unbending  virtue.  But  to  build  their  state, — amid  the  angry  conflict 
of  passion  and  prejudice  and  unreasonable  apprehension,  the  incre 
dulity  of  many,  and  the  grave  doubt  of  all,  to  organize  for  them  and 
peacefully  to  inaugurate  a  complete  and  satisfactory  government, — 
this  is  the  greatest  service  that  a  man  can  render  to  mankind.  But 
this,  also,  is  the  glory  of  Washington.  The  power  of  his  personal 
character,  his  penetrating  foresight,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  judgment, 

(327) 


328  GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS. 

in  composing  the  myriad  elements  that  threatened  to  overwhelm  the 
mighty  undertaking,  are  all  unparalleled.  "Nothing  but  harmony, 
honesty,  industry  and  frugality,"  he  said  to  Lafayette,  "are  necessary 
to  make  us  a  great  and  happy  people."  But  he  was  not  a  man  of 
phrases,  nor  did  he  suppose  that  government  could  be  established  or 
maintained  by  lofty  professions  of  virtue.  No  man's  perception  of  the 
indispensability  of  great  principles  to  the  successful  conduct  of  great 
affairs  was  ever  more  unclouded  than  his,  but  no  man  had  ever  learned 
by  a  more  prolonged  or  arduous  experience  that  infinite  patience, 
sagacity,  forbearance,  and  wise  concession  must  attend  inflexible  prin 
ciple,  if  great  affairs  are  to  be  greatly  administered.  His  countrymen 
are  charged  with  fond  idolatry  of  his  memory,  and  his  greatness  is 
pleasantly  depreciated  as  a  mythologic  exaggeration.  But  no  church 
ever  canonized  a  saint  more  worthily  than  he  is  canonized  by  the 
national  affection,  and  to  no  ancient  hero,  benefactor,  or  lawgiver, 
were  divine  honors  ever  so  justly  decreed  as  to  Washington  the  hom 
age  of  the  world. 

With  the  sure  sagacity  of  a  leader  of  men,  he  selected  at  once, 
for  the  highest  and  most  responsible  stations,  the  three  chief  Ameri 
cans  who  represented  the  three  forces  in  the  Nation  which  alone  could 
command  success  in  the  institution  of  the  government.  Hamilton 
was  the  head,  Jefferson  was  the  heart,  and  John  Jay  was  the  conscience. 
Washington's  just  and  serene  ascendency  was  the  lambent  flame  in 
which  these  beneficent  powers  were  fused ;  and  nothing  less  than  that 
ascendency  could  have  ridden  the  whirlwind  and  directed  the  storm 
that  burst  around  him.  Party  spirit  blazed  into  fury;  John  Jay  was 
hung  in  effigy;  Hamilton  was  stoned;  insurrection  raised  its  head  in 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS.  329 

the  West;  Washington  himself  was  denounced;  and  suddenly  the 
French  Revolution,  the  ghastly  spectre  rising  from  delirium  and 
despair,  the  avenging  fury  of  intolerable  oppression,  at  once  hopeful 
and  heart-rending,  seized  modern  civilization,  shook  Europe  to  the 
centre,  divided  the  sympathy  of  America,  and,  as  the  child  of  liberty, 
appealed  to  Washington.  But  the  great  soul,  amidst  battle,  and 
defeat,  and  long  retreat,  and  the  sinking  heart  of  a  people,  undis 
mayed,  was  not  appalled  by  the  convulsion  of  the  world.  Amidst  the 
uproar  of  Christendom  he  knew  liberty  too  well  to  be  deluded  by  its 
mad  pretence.  Without  a  beacon,  without  a  chart,  but  with  unwaver 
ing  eye  and  steady  hand,  he  guided  his  country  safe  through  darkness 
and  through  storm.  In  the  angry  shock  of  domestic  parties,  "there 
is  but  one  character  which  keeps  them  in  awe,"  wrote  Edmund  Ran 
dolph.  "The  foundations  of  the  moral  world,"  said  a  wise  teacher  in 
Cambridge  University,  bidding  young  Englishmen  mark  the  match 
less  man, — "the  foundations  of  the  moral  world  were  shaken,  but  not 
the  understanding  of  Washington."*  He  held  his  steadfast  way,  like 
the  sun  across  the  firmament,  giving  life,  and  health,  and  strength  to 
the  new  nation ;  and  upon  a  searching  survey  of  his  administration, 
which  established  the  fundamental  principles  of  American  policy  in 
every  department  of  the  Government,  there  is  no  great  act  which  his 
country  would  annul,  no  word  spoken,  no  line  written,  no  deed  done 
by  him,  which  justice  would  reverse  or  wisdom  deplore. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM   CURTIS   was  born   at   Providence,  R.  I.,  February  24,  1824,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.     He  visited  Europe  in  1846,  studied  for 

*  William  Smyth,  page  231. — ED. 
42 


330  GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS. 

some  time  in  the  University  of  Berlin,  and  after  making  an  extensive  tour  in  the  Levant, 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  1850.  Mr.  Curtis  edited  Harper's  Monthly  for  many  years, 
has  acquired  a  high  reputation  as  an  orator  and  lecturer,  and  since  1857,  has  been  the  manag 
ing  editor  of  Harper's  Weekly.  Our  extract  is  from  an  "  Address  at  the  unveiling  of  the 
Statue  of  Washington,  upon  the  spot  where  he  took  the  oath  as  First  President  of  the  United 
States,  delivered  on  the  26th  of  November  1883."  8vo,  pp.  35.  New  York:  1883.  The 
statue,  by  John  Q.  A.  Ward,  erected  by  the  citizens  of  New  York  to  commemorate  the  event, 
stands  on  the  steps  of  the  Sub-Treasury  Building,  Wall  Street,  the  site  of  the  second  City 
Hall,  on  the  balcony  of  which  Washington  took  the  oath,  April  30,  1789. 


ROBERT  C.  WINTHROP. 

1885. 

THE  character  of  Washington !  Who  can  delineate  it  worthily  ? 
Who  can  describe  that  priceless  gift  of  America  to  the  world,  in  terms 
which  may  do  it  any  sort  of  justice,  or  afford  any  degree  of  satisfaction 
to  his  hearers  or  to  himself? 

Modest,  disinterested,  generous,  just, — of  clean  hands  and  a  pure 
heart, — self-denying  and  self-sacrificing,  seeking  nothing  for  himself, 
declining  all  remuneration  beyond  the  reimbursement  of  his  outlays, 
scrupulous  to  a  farthing  in  keeping  his  accounts,  of  spotless  integrity, 
scorning  gifts,  charitable  to  the  needy,  forgiving  injuries  and  injustices, 
brave,  fearless,  heroic,  with  a  prudence  ever  governing  his  impulses 
and  a  wisdom  ever  guiding  his  valor, — true  to  his  friends,  true  to  his 
whole  country,  true  to  himself, — fearing  God,  believing  in  Christ,  no 
stranger  to  private  devotion  or  public  worship,  or  to  the  holiest  offices 
of  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged,  but  ever  gratefully  recognizing 
a  Divine  aid  and  direction  in  all  that  he  attempted  and  in  all  that  he 
accomplished, — what  epithet,  what  attribute,  could  be  added  to  that 
consummate  character  to  commend  it  as  an  example  above  all  other 
characters  in  merely  human  history ! 

From  first  to  last,  he  never  solicited,  or  sought,  an  office,  military 
or  civil.  Every  office  stood  candidate  for  him,  and  was  ennobled  by 
his  acceptance  of  it.  Honors  clustered  around  him  as  if  by  the  force 

(330 


332  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

of  "first  intention."  Responsibilities  heaped  themselves  on  his  shoul 
ders  as  if  by  the  law  of  gravitation.  They  could  rest  safely  nowhere 
else,  and  they  found  him  ever  ready  to  bear  them  all,  ever  equal 
to  discharge  them  all.  To  what  is  called  personal  magnetism  he 
could  have  had  little  pretension.  A  vein  of  dignified  reserve,  which 
Houdon  and  Stuart  have  rightly  made  his  peculiar  characteristic  in 
marble  and  on  canvas,  repressed  all  familiarities  with  him.  His  mag 
netism  was  that  of  merit, — superior,  surpassing  merit, — the  merit  of 
spotless  integrity,  of  recognized  ability,  and  of  unwearied  willingness 
to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service  of  his  country.  That  was  suffi 
cient  to  attract  irresistibly  to  his  support,  not  only  the  great  mass  of 
the  people,  but  the  wisest  and  best  of  his  contemporaries  in  all  quarters 
of  the  Union,  and  from  them  he  selected,  with  signal  discrimination, 
such  advisers  and  counsellors,  in  War  and  in  Peace,  as  have  never 
surrounded  any  other  American  leader.  No  jealousy  of  their  abilities 
and  accomplishments  ever  ruffled  his  breast,  and  with  them  he 
achieved  our  Independence,  organized  our  Constitutional  Government, 
and  stamped  his  name  indelibly  on  the  age  in  which  he  lived  as  the 
Age  of  Washington ! 

Well  did  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  in  that  admirable  Preface  to  the 
biography  of  his  revered  and  illustrious  friend,  sum  up  with  judicial 
precision  the  services  he  was  about  to  describe  in  detail.  Well  and 
truly  did  he  say,  "As  if  the  chosen  instrument  of  Heaven,  selected  for 
the  purpose  of  effecting  the  great  designs  of  Providence  respecting  this 
our  Western  Hemisphere,  it  was  the  peculiar  lot  ot  this  distinguished 
man,  at  every  epoch  when  the  destinies  of  his  country  seemed  depen 
dent  on  the  measures  adopted,  to  be  called  by  the  united  voice  of  his 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  333 

fellow-citizens  to  those  high  stations  on  which  the  success  of  those 
measures  principally  depended." 

And  not  less  justly  has  Bancroft  said,  when  describing  Washing 
ton's  first  inauguration  as  President;  "But  for  him  the  Country  could 
not  have  achieved  its  Independence;  but  for  him  it  could  not  have 
formed  its  Union;  and  now  but  for  him  it  could  not  set  the  Federal 
.Government  in  successful  motion. "* 

I  do  not  forget  that  there  have  been  other  men,  in  other  days,  in 
other  lands,  and  in  our  own  land,  who  have  been  called  to  command 
larger  armies,  to  preside  over  more  distracted  councils,  to  administer 
more  extended  governments,  and  to  grapple  with  as  complicated  and 
critical  affairs.  Gratitude  and  honor  wait  ever  on  their  persons  and 
their  names !  But  we  do  not  estimate  Miltiades  at  Marathon,  or  Pau- 
sanias  at  Plataea,  or  Themistocles  at  Salamis,  or  Epaminondas  at 
Mantinea  or  Leuctra,  or  Leonidas  at  Thermopylae,  by  the  number  of 
the  forces  which  they  led  on  land  or  on  sea.  Nor  do  we  gauge  the 
glory  of  Columbus  by  the  size  of  the  little  fleet  with  which  he  ventured 
so  heroically  upon  the  perils  of  a  mighty  unknown  deep.  There  are 

*  Count  Moustier,  the  French  minister  to  the  United  States,  at  the  time  of  the  inception 
of  the  new  government,  writing  from  New  York,  5  June,  1789,  to  Count  Montmorin,  thus 
expresses  himself:  "  It  is  already  beyond  doubt  that,  in  spite  of  the  asserted  beauty  of  the 
plan  which  has  been  adopted,  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  renounce  its  introduction  if  the 
same  man  who  presided  over  its  formation  had  not  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  enterprise. 
The  opinion  of  General  Washington  was  of  such  weight  that  it  alone  contributed  more  than 
any  other  measure  to  cause  the  present  constitution  to  be  adopted.  The  extreme  confidence 
in  his  patriotism,  his  integrity,  and  his  intelligence  forms  to-day  its  principal  support.  It  has 
become  popular  much  more  out  of  respect  for  the  chief  of  the  republic  than  by  any  merit  of 
its  own.  All  is  hushed  in  presence  of  the  trust  of  the  people  in  the  savior  of  the  country." — 
Bancroft' 's  History  of  the  Constitution.  Vol.  II,  p.  49$.  Appendix. — ED. 


334  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

some  circumstances  which  cannot  occur  twice;  some  occasions  of 
which  there  can  be  no  repetition;  some  names  which  will  always  assert 
their  individual  pre-eminence,  and  will  admit  of  no  rivalry  or  com 
parison.  The  glory  of  Columbus  can  never  be  eclipsed,  never 
approached,  till  our  New  World  shall  require  a  fresh  discovery;  and 
the  glory  of  Washington  will  remain  unique  and  peerless  until 
American  Independence  shall  require  to  be  again  achieved,  or  the 
foundations  of  Constitutional  Liberty  to  be  laid  anew. 

Think  not  that  I  am  claiming  an  immaculate  perfection  for  any 
mortal  man.  One  Being  only  has  .ever  walked  this  earth  of  ours 
without  sin.  Washington  had  his  infirmities  and  his  passions  like  the 
rest  of  us;  and  he  would  have  been  more  or  less  than  human  had  he 
never  been  overcome  by  them.  There  were  young  officers  around 
him,  in  camp  and  elsewhere,  not  unlikely  to  have  thrown  temptations 
in  his  path.  There  were  treacherous  men,  also, — downright  traitors, 
some  of  them, — whose  words  in  council,  or  conduct  in  battle,  or  secret 
plottings  behind  his  back,  aroused  his  righteous  indignation,  and  gave 
occasion  for  memorable  bursts  of  anger.  Now  and  then,  too,  there 
was  a  disaster,  like  that  of  St.  Clair's  expedition  against  the  Indians 
in  1791,  the  first  tidings  of  which  stirred  the  very  depths  of  his  soul, 
and  betrayed  him  into  a  momentary  outbreak  of  mingled  grief  and 
rage,  which  only  proved  how  violent  were  the  emotions  he  was  so 
generally  able  to  control. 

While,  however,  not  even  the  polluted  breath  of  slander  has  left 
a  shadow  upon  the  purity  of  his  life,  or  a  doubt  of  his  eminent  power 
of  self-command,  he  made  no  boast  of  virtue  or  of  valor,  and  no  amount 
of  flattery  ever  led  him  to  be  otherwise  than  distrustful  of  his  own 


/ 

-/f 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  335 


ability  and  merits.  As  early  as  1757,  when  only  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  he  wrote  to  Governor  Dinwiddie :  "  That  I  have  foibles,  and  per 
haps  many  of  them,  I  shall  not  deny;  I  should  esteem  myself,  as  the 
world  also  would,  vain  and  empty  were  I  to  arrogate  perfection." 
On  accepting  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  in  1775, 
he  said  to  Congress :  "  I  beg  it  may  be  remembered  by  every  gentle 
man  in  the  room,  that  I  this  day  declare,  with  the  utmost  sincerity,  I 
do  not  think  myself  equal  to  the  command  I  am  honored  with."  And, 
in  1777,  when  informed  that  anonymous  accusations  against  him  had 
been  sent  to  Laurens,  then  President  of  Congress,  he  wrote  privately  to 
beg  that  the  paper  might  at  once  be  submitted  to  the  body  to  which 
it  was  addressed,  adding  these  frank  and  noble  words :  "  Why  should 
I  be  exempt  from  censure, — the  unfailing  lot  of  an  elevated  station? 
Merit  and  talents  which  I  cannot  pretend  to  rival  have  ever  been  sub 
ject  to  it.  My  heart  tells  me  it  has  been  my  unremitted  aim  to  do 
the  best  which  circumstances  would  permit;  yet  I  may  have  been 
very  often  mistaken  in  my  judgment  of  the  means,  and  may,  in  many 
instances,  deserve  the  imputation  of  error."  And  when,  at  last,  he 
was  contemplating  a  final  retirement  from  the  Presidency,  and,  in  one 
of  the  drafts  of  his  Farewell  Address,  had  written  that  he  withdrew 
"with  a  pure  heart  and  undefiled  hands,"  or  words  to  that  effect,  he 
suppressed  the  passage  and  all  other  similar  expressions,  lest,  as  he 
suggested,  he  should  seem  to  claim  for  himself  a  measure  of  perfec 
tion  which  all  the  world  now  unites  in  according  to  him.  For  I 
hazard  little  in  asserting  that  all  the  world  does  now  accord  to  Wash 
ington  a  tribute,  which  has  the  indorsement  of  the  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica,  that,  "  of  all  men  that  have  ever  lived,  he  was  the  greatest 


336  ROBERT  C.    WINTHROP. 

of  good  men,  and  the  best  of  great  men."*  Or,  let  me  borrow  the 
same  idea  from  a  renowned  English  poet,  who  gave  his  young  life 
and  brilliant  genius  to  the  cause  of  Liberty  in  modern  Greece. 
"Where,"  wrote  Byron, — 

"  Where  may  the  wearied  eye  repose 

When  gazing  on  the  great, 
Where  neither  guilty  glory  glows, 

Nor  despicable  state ! 
Yes,  one — the  first,  the  last,  the  best, 
The  Cincinnatus  of  the  West, 

Whom  envy  dared  not  hate — 
Bequeathed  the  name  of  Washington, 
To  make  men  blush  there  was  but  One  !"f 

To  what  other  name  have  such  tributes  ever  been  paid  by  great 
and  good  men,  abroad  as  well  as  at  home?  You  have  not  forgotten 
the  language  of  Lord  Erskine,  in  his  inscription  of  one  of  his  produc 
tions  to  Washington  himself:  "You  are  the  only  being  for  whom  I 
have  an  awful  reverence  !"|  You  have  not  forgotten  the  language  of 
Charles  James  Fox,  in  the  House  of  Commons :  "  Illustrious  Man, 
before  whom  all  borrowed  greatness  sinks  into  insignificance."!  You 
have  not  forgotten  the  language  of  Lord  Brougham,  twice  uttered,  at 
long  intervals,  and  with  a  purpose,  as  Brougham  himself  once  told  me, 
to  impress  and  enforce  those  emphatic  words  as  his  fixed  and  final  judg 
ment:  "Until  time  shall  be  no  more  will  a  test  of  the  progress  which 
our  race  has  made  in  Wisdom  and  Virtue  be  derived  from  the  venera 
tion  paid  to  the  immortal  name  of  Washington  !"J 

*  Edward  Everett,  page  302. — ED. 

f  Ode  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  April  10,  1814. — ED.      J  See  pages  303,  44,  210. — ED. 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  337 

Nor  can  I  fail  to  welcome  the  crowning  tribute,  perhaps,  from 
our  mother  land, — reaching  me,  as  it  has,  at  the  last  moment  of  revi 
sing  what  I  had  prepared  for  this  occasion, — in  a  published  letter  from 
Gladstone,*  her  great  Prime  Minister,  who,  after  saying,  in  casual 
conversation,  that  Washington  was  "the  purest  figure  in  history," 
writes  deliberately,  "that  if,  among  all  the  pedestals  supplied  by 
history  for  public  characters  of  extraordinary  nobility  and  purity,  I 
saw  one  higher  than  all  the  rest,  and  if  I  were  required,  at  a  moment's 
notice,  to  name  the  fittest  occupant  for  it,  I  think  my  choice,  at  any 
time  during  the  last  forty-five  years,  would  have  lighted,  and  it  would 
now  light  upon  Washington  !" 

But  if  any  one  would  get  a  full  impression  of  the  affection  and 
veneration  in  which  Washington  was  held  by  his  contemporaries,  let 
him  turn,  almost  at  random,  to  the  letters  which  were  addressed  to 
him,  or  which  were  written  about  him,  by  the  eminent  men,  military 
or  civil,  American  or  European,  who  were  privileged  to  correspond 
with  him,  or  who  ever  so  casually  found  occasion  to  allude  to  his 
career  and  character.  And  let  him  by  no  means  forget,  as  he  reads 
them,  that  those  letters  were  written  a  hundred  years  ago,  when  lan 
guage  was  more  measured,  if  not  more  sincere,  than  now,  and  before 
the  indiscriminate  use  of  the  superlative,  and  the  exaggerations  and 
adulations  of  flatterers  and  parasites,  sending  great  and  small  alike 
down  to  posterity  as  patterns  of  every  virtue  under  Heaven,  had 
tended  to  render  such  tributes  as  suspicious  as  they  often  are  worthless. 

*  To  G.  W.  Smalley,  dated  10  Downing  St.,  Whitehall,  October  4,  1884.  Mr.  Smalley 
was  the  London  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  the  letter  was  published  in 
that  paper,  February  I,  1885. — ED. 

43 


338  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

What,  for  instance,  said  plain-speaking  old  Benjamin  Franklin  ? 
"  My  fine  crab-tree  walking-stick,  with  a  gold  head  curiously  wrought 
in  the  form  of  the  cap  of  Liberty," — these  are  the  words  of  his  Will, 
in  1789, — "I  give  to  my  friend  and  the  friend  of  mankind,  George 
Washington.  If  it  were  a  sceptre,  he  has  merited  it,  and  would  be 
come  it." 

"Happy,  happy  America,"  wrote  Gouverneur  Morris  from  Paris, 
in  1/93,  when  the  French  Revolution  was  making  such  terrific  pro 
gress, — "happy,  happy  America,  governed  by  reason,  by  law,  by  the 
man  whom  she  loves,  whom  she  almost  adores  !  It  is  the  pride  of  my 
life  to  consider  that  man  as  my  friend,  and  I  hope  long  to  be  honored 
with  that  title." 

"I  have  always  admired,"  wrote  to  him  Count  Herzburg,  from 
Berlin,*  where  he  had  presided  for  thirty  years  over  the  Ministry  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  under  Frederick  the  Great, — "  I  have  always  admired 
your  great  virtues  and  qualities,  your  disinterested  patriotism,  your 
unshaken  courage  and  simplicity  of  manners, — qualifications  by  which 
you  surpass  men  even  the  most  celebrated  of  antiquity." 

"I  am  sorry,"  wrote  Patrick  Henry,  then  Governor  of  Virginia, 
in  allusion  to  the  accusations  of  one  of  the  notorious  faction  of  1777, 
— "  I  am  sorry  there  should  be  one  man  who  counts  himself  my  friend 
who  is  not  yours." 

Thomas  Jefferson,  who,  we  all  know,  sometimes  differed  from  him, 
took  pains,  at  a  later  period  of  his  life,  to  say  of  him  in  a  record  for 
posterity :  "  His  integrity  was  most  pure ;  his  justice  the  most  inflexible 
I  have  ever  known ;  no  motives  of  interest  or  consanguinity,  of  friend- 


*  June  14,  1793. — ED. 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  339 

ship  or  hatred,  being  able  to  bias  his  decision.  He  was,  indeed,  in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  a  wise,  a  good,  and  a  great  man."*  And 
when  it  was  once  suggested  to  him,  not  long  before  his  own  death, 
that  the  fame  of  Washington  might  lessen  with  the  lapse  of  years,  Jef 
ferson,  looking  up  to  the  sky,  and  in  a  tone  which  betrayed  deep 
emotion,  is  said  to  have  replied:  "Washington's  fame  will  go  on 
increasing  until  the  brightest  constellation  in  yonder  heavens  is  called 
by  his  name."t 

"  If  I  could  now  present  myself,"  wrote  Edmund  Randolph,  who 
had  made  injurious  imputations  on  Washington  before  and  after  his 
dismissal  from  the  Cabinet  in  1795, — "if  I  could  now  present  myself 
before  your  venerated  uncle,"  he  wrote  most  touchingly  to  Judge 
Bushrod  Washington  in  1810,  "it  would  be  my  pride  to  confess  my 
contrition,  that  I  suffered  my  irritation,  let  the  cause  be  what  it 
might,  to  use  some  of  those  expressions  respecting  him,  which,  at  this 
moment  of  indifference  to  the  world,  I  wish  to  recall,  as  being  incon 
sistent  with  my  subsequent  conviction.  My  life  will,  I  hope,  be  suf 
ficiently  extended  for  the  recording  of  my  sincere  opinion  of  his  vir 
tues  and  merit,  in  a  style  which  is  not  the  result  of  a  mind  merely 
debilitated  by  misfortune,  but  of  that  Christian  Philosophy  on  which 
alone  I  depend  for  inward  tranquillity." 

And  far  more  touching  and  more  telling  still  is  the  fact,  that  even 
Thomas  Conway,  the  leader  of  that  despicable  cabal  at  Valley  Forge, 
but  who  lived  to  redeem  his  name  in  other  lands,  if  not  in  our  own, — 
when  believing  himself  to  be  mortally  wounded  in  a  duel,  in  1778, 

*  See  page  168. — ED. 

f  Randall's  Life  of  Thomas  Jefferson.     Vol.  II,  p.  375. — ED. 


340  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

and  "just  able,"  as  he  said,  "to  hold  the  pen  for  a  few  minutes," — 
employed  those  few  minutes  in  writing  to  Washington  to  express  his 
"sincere  grief  for  having  done,  written,  or  said  anything  disagreeable" 
to  him,  adding  these  memorable  words:  "You  are,. in  my  eyes,  the 
great  and  good  man.  May  you  long  enjoy  the  love,  veneration,  and 
esteem  of  these  States,  whose  liberties  you  have  asserted  by  your 
virtues." 

From  his  illustrious  friend,  Alexander  Hamilton,  I  need  not  cite 
a  word.  His  whole  life  bore  testimony,  more  impressive  than  words, 
to  an  admiration  and  affection  for  his  great  chief,  which  could  not  be 
exceeded,  and  which  no  momentary  misunderstandings  could  shake. 

But  listen  once  more,  and  only  once  more,  to  Lafayette,  writing 
to  Washington  from  Cadiz  in  1783,  when  the  glad  tidings  of  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  had  just  reached  him :  "Were  you  but  such  a  man  as 
Julius  Caesar,  or  the  King  of  Prussia,  I  should  almost  be  sorry  for  you 
at  the  end  of  the  great  tragedy  where  you  are  acting  such  a  part. 
But,  with  my  dear  General,  I  rejoice  at  the  blessings  of  a  Peace  in 

which  our  noble  ends  have  been  secured As  for  you,  who 

truly  can  say  you  have  done  all  this,  what  must  your  virtuous  and 
good  heart  feel  in  the  happy  moment  when  the  Revolution  you  have 
made  is  now  firmly  established!"  Rightly  and  truly  did  Lafayette  say 
that  his  beloved  General  was  of  another  spirit  and  of  a  different  mould 
from  Caesar  and  Frederick.  Washington  had  little,  or  nothing,  in 
common  with  the  great  military  heroes  of  his  own  or  any  other  age, — 
conquering  for  the  sake  of  conquest, — "  wading  through  slaughter  to 
a  throne," — and  overrunning  the  world,  at  a  countless  cost  of  blood 
and  treasure,  to  gratify  their  own  ambition,  or  to  realize  some  mad 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  341 

dream  of  universal  empire.  No  ancient  Plutarch  has  furnished  any 
just  parallel  for  him  in  this  respect.  No  modern  Plutarch  will  find 
one.  In  all  history,  ancient  and  modern  alike,  he  stands,  in  this 
respect,  as  individual  and  unique  as  yonder  majestic  Needle.* 

In  his  Eulogy  on  Washington  before  the  Legislature  of  Massa 
chusetts,  the  eloquent  Fisher  Ames,  my  earliest  predecessor  in  Con 
gress  from  the  Boston  district,  said,  eighty-five  years  ago,  that,  in 
contemplating  his  career  and  character,  "Mankind  perceived  some 
change  in  their  ideas  of  greatness.  .  .  .  The  splendor  of  power,  and 
even  the  name  of  Conqueror,  had  grown  dim  in  their  eyes.  .  .  .  They 
knew  and  felt  that  the  world's  wealth,  and  its  empire  too,  would  be  a 
bribe  far  beneath  his  acceptance."  Yes,  they  all  saw  that  he  bore 
ever  in  his  mind  and  in  his  heart,  as  he  said  at  Philadelphia  on  his  way 
to  Cambridge,  in  1775,  that  "as  the  Sword  was  the  last  resort  for  the 
preservation  of  our  liberties,  so  it  ought  to  be  the  first  thing  laid  aside 
when  those  liberties  were  firmly  established."  And  they  saw  him  lay 
down  his  sword  at  the  earliest  moment,  and  retire  to  the  pursuits  of 
peace,  only  returning  again  to  public  service  at  the  unanimous  call  of 
his  country,  to  preside  for  a  limited  period  over  a  free  Constitutional 
Republic,  and  then  eagerly  resuming  the  rank  of  an  American  Citizen. 
That  was  the  example  which  changed  the  ideas  of  mankind  as  to  what 
constituted  real  greatness.  And  that  example  was  exhibited  for  all 
nations  and  for  all  ages,  never  to  be  forgotten  or  overlooked,  by  him 
who  was  born,  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  years  ago  to-morrow,  in 
that  primitive  little  Virginia  farm-house! 

I  am  myself  a  New-Englander  by  birth,  a  son  of  Massachusetts, 

*  The  National  Monument  to  Washington. — ED. 


342  ROBERT  C.    WINTHROP. 


bound  by  the  strongest  ties  of  affection  and  of  blood  to  honor  and 
venerate  the  earlier  and  the  later  Worthies  of  the  old  Puritan  Com 
monwealth,  jealous  of  their  fair  fame,  and  every  ready  to  assert  and  vin 
dicate  their  just  renown.  But  I  turn  reverently  to  the  Old  Dominion 
to-day,  and  salute  her  as  the  mother  of  the  pre-eminent  and  incom 
parable  American,  the  Father  of  his  Country,  and  the  foremost  figure 
in  all  merely  human  history.  In  the  words  of  our  own  poet,  Lowell, 

"Virginia  gave  us  this  imperial  man, 

Cast  in  the  massive  mould 

Of  those  high-statured  ages  old 

Which  into  grander  forms  our  mortal  metal  ran; 

She  gave  us  this  unblemished  gentleman : 

What  shall  we  give  her  back  but  love  and  praise  ?"* 

Virginia  has  had  other  noble  sons,  whom  I  will  not  name,  but 
whom  I  do  not  forget.  When  I  remember  how  many  they  are,  and 
how  great  they  have  been,  and  how  much  our  country  has  owed  them, 
I  may  well  exclaim,  "Felix  prole  viriun"  But,  as  I  think  of  her 
Washington, — of  our  Washington,  let  me  rather  say, — I  am  almost 
ready  to  add,  "  Lceta  Dcfim  partu  !  "  f 

A  celebrated  philosopher  of  antiquity,  who  was  nearly  contempo- 

*  Poem  read  at  the  Cambridge  Centennial,  July  3,  1875. — ED. 

f  Mr.  Winthrop  referring  to  Virginia  on  a  previous  occasion,  "  Oration  before  the  New 
England  Society  of  New  York,  December  23,  1839,"  said:  "  Nor  let  me  omit  to  allude  to  a 
peculiar  distinction  which  belongs  to  Virginia  alone.  It  is  her  preeminent  honor  and  pride, 
that  the  name  which  the  whole  country  acknowledges  as  that  of  a  father,  she  can  claim  as 
that  of  a  son — a  name  at  which  comparison  ceases — to  which  there  is  nothing  similar,  noth 
ing  second : — a  name  combining  in  its  associations  all  that  was  most  pure  and  godly  in  the 
nature  of  the  Pilgrims,  with  all  that  was  most  brave  and  manly  in  the  character  of  the 

Patriots: A  NAME  ABOVE  EVERY  NAME  IN  THE  ANNALS  OF  HUMAN  LIBERTY  !  " ED. 


ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP.  343 

rary  with  Christ,  but  who  could  have  known  nothing  of  what  was 
going  on  in  Judaea,  and  who,  alas!  did  not  always  "reck  his  own 
rede," — wrote  thus  to  a  younger  friend,  as  a  precept  for  a  worthy 
life:  "Some  good  man  must  be  singled  out  and  kept  ever  before  our 
eyes,  that  we  may  live  as  if  he  were  looking  on,  and  do  everything  as 
if  he  could  see  it."  * 

Let  me  borrow  the  spirit,  if  not  the  exact  letter,  of  that  precept, 
and  address  it  to  the  young  men  of  my  Country:  "Keep  ever  in  your 
mind,  and  before  your  mind's  eye,  the  loftiest  standard  of  character. 
You  have  it,  I  need  not  say,  supremely  and  unapproachably,  in  Him 
who  spake  as  never  man  spake,  and  lived  as  never  man  lived,  and  who 
died  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  That  character  stands  apart  and  alone. 
But  of  merely  mortal  men  the  monument  we  have  dedicated  to-day 
points  out  the  one  for  all  Americans  to  study,  to  imitate,  and,  as  far 
as  may  be,  to  emulate.  Keep  his  example  and  his  character  ever 
before  your  eyes  and  in  your  hearts.  Live  and  act  as  if  he  were  see 
ing  and  judging  your  personal  conduct  and  your  public  career.  Strive 
to  approximate  that  lofty  standard,  and  measure  your  integrity  and 
your  patriotism  by  your  nearness  to  it,  or  your  departure  from  it. 
The  prime  meridian  of  universal  longitude,  on  sea  or  land,  may  be  at 
Greenwich,  or  at  Paris,  or  where  you  will.  But  the  prime  meridian 
of  pure,  disinterested,  patriotic,  exalted  human  character  will  be  marked 
forever  by  yonder  Washington  obelisk!"  ***** 

Our  matchless  Obelisk  stands  proudly  before  us  to-day,  and  we 
« ~~~  • 

*  "Aliquis  vir  bonus  nobis  eligendus  est,  ac  semper  ante  oculos  habendus,  ut  sic  tanquam 
illo  spectante  vivamus,  et  omnia  tatiquam  illo  vidente  faciamus. — Senecae  Epistola  ad 
Lucilium  XI. 


344  ROBERT  C.   WINTHROP. 

hail  it  with  the  exultations  of  a  united  and  glorious  Nation.  It  may, 
or  may  not,  be  proof  against  the  cavils  of  critics,  but  nothing  of 
human  construction  is  proof  against  the  casualities  of  time.  The 
storms  of  winter  must  blow  and  beat  upon  it.  The  action  of  the 
elements  must  soil  and  discolor  it.  The  lightnings  of  Heaven  may 
scar  and  blacken  it.  An  earthquake  may  shake  its  foundations. 
Some  mighty  tornado,  or  resistless  cyclone,  may  rend  its  massive 
blocks  asunder  and  hurl  huge  fragments  to  the  ground.  But  the 
character  which  it  commemorates  and  illustrates  is  secure.  It  will 
remain  unchanged  and  unchangeable  in  all  its  consummate  purity  and 
splendor,  and  will  more  and  more  command  the  homage  of  succeeding 
ages  in  all  regions  of  the  Earth. 

GOD    BE   PRAISED,    THAT   CHARACTER    IS    OURS    FOREVER! 


ROBERT  CHARLES  WINTHROP  was  born  in  Boston,  May  12,  1809,  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1828,  and  studied  law  with  Daniel  Webster.  He  entered  the  state  legislature  in 
1835,  and  was  speaker  in  1838-40;  member  of  Congress  1840-50,  speaker  in  1847-8,  and 
United  States  Senator  1850-1.  Mr.  Winthrop  has  published  several  memoirs,  delivered 
many  historical  addresses,  is  a  ripe  scholar,  and  an  eloquent  speaker.  Our  extract  is  from 
the  second  edition  of  his  "  Oration  on  the  completion  of  the  National  Monument  to  Wash 
ington  agreeably  to  the  appointment  of  Congress,  February  21,  1885."  8vo,  pp.  39.  Bos 
ton;  1885.  Extracts  from  Mr.  Winthrop's  oration  on  the  occasion  of  laying  the  corner-stone 
of  the  monument,  July  4,  1848,  are  given  on  page  264. 


INDEX. 


A  name  above  every  name  in  the  annals  of 
human  liberty,  342 

A  character  worthy  of  the  brightest  days  of 
antiquity,  97 

ADAMS,  JOHN,  59 

ADAMS,  JOHN  QUINCY,  216 

Address.  See  Deportment;  Farewell  ad 
dress. 

Address  of  Condolence,  Senate  U.  S.,  57 

Administration,  61,  68,  87,  92,  108,  144,  261, 

315.  329 

Agricultural  pursuits,  33,  39,  135 
ALISON,  ARCHIBALD,  240 
AMES,  FISHER,  89,  341 
Andre's  condemnation  censured.  133 
ANNUAL  REGISTER,  99 
ANONYMOUS  ARTICLES,  135,  138 
Arnold,  Benedict,  211 
As  fortunate  as  great  and  good,  153 
Athenaeum,  Extract  from  notice  in,  311 

Balance  of  character,  105,  200,  204,  220, 
240,  247,  281,  286,  296,  316.  See 
Symmetry. 

Balch,  Elise  W.,  21 

BANCROFT,  AARON,  149 

BANCROFT,  GEORGE,  285 

quoted  by  Winthrop,  333 

44 


BELL,  JOHN,  1 1 

Best  of  great  men,  greatest  of  good  men,  302, 

319. 336 

BETHUNE,  GEORGE  W.,  274 
Blanchard,  Claude  (note),  214 
Bodin,  Felix  (note),  195 
BRISSOT  DE  WARVILLE,  39 
BRITISH  REGISTER.  94 
BROGUE,  PRINCE  DE,  18 
BROUGHAM,  LORD,  206,  297,  336 
BROWN,  HENRY  ARMITT,  318 
Brown,  Henry  Kirke,  statue  by,  276 
Burr,  Aaron,  objected  to,  282 
Byron,  quotation  from,  336 

Calumnies  ignored,  112,  146 

See  Enemies. 

CAREY,  WILLIAM  P.,  35 
Carriage.     See  Deportment. 
Channing,  William  Ellery,  179 
Charity,  35,  77,  150,  204 
CHASTELLUX,  MARQUIS  DE,  26 
Chastellux  criticized,  41 
CHATEAUBRIAND,  182 
COMBE,  GEORGE,  219 
Commanding  and  meek,  217 
Common  Sense,  99,  155,  198,  311 
See  Good  Sense. 

(345) 


346 


INDEX. 


Comparisons.     See  Parallels. 
Compensation.     See  Pay. 
Complexion,  12,  149,  285,  301 
Confidence  commanded,  289 
Congress,  action  of  on  death,  280 

Funeral  oration  by  Lee,  62 

See  House  of  Representatives;  Senate. 

Constitutional  convention,  67 
Contrasts.     See  Parallels. 
Controlling  influence,  264 
Conversation,  18,  51,  311,  322 
Conway's  disparagement,  323 
Conway's  repentance,  340 
Cornwallis'  remarks,  309 

See  also  118 

Correspondence,  comments  on,  31,  48,  292, 
296 

See  Literary.     .     . 

CORRY,  JOHN,  131 
—  See  note,  136 
CRITTENDEN,  JOHN  J.,  270 
CURTIS,  GEORGE  WILLIAM,  327 
CUSTIS,  GEORGE  W.  P.,  309 

Davies,  Samuel,  D.D.  (note),  117 
Death,  cause  of,  99,  280 
proceedings  and  addresses  on,  54,  57, 

59 

See  Funeral  orations ;  Mourning ;  Obitu 
ary  notices. 

De  Kalb's  opinion,  323 

Deportment,  9,  12,  15,  18,  23,  27,  36,  41,  48, 
5°»  7i»  73,  80,  113,  123,  131,  142, 
155,  169,  177,  186,  201 

De  Witt  on  the  correspondence,  293 

Dexter,  Samuel,  in  Committee  on  Address, 
57 


Dinwiddie,  Robert,  letter  to,  335 

Disinterestedness,  86 

Divinely  guided,  102,  116,  120,  164 

See  Providential.     .     . 

Domestic  qualities,  12,  175 

See  Family. 

Dress,  9,  301 
DUMAS,  COUNT,  211 
DWIGHT,  TIMOTHY,  1 10 

EDMONDS,  CYRUS  R.,  191 

Education,  135,  169 

Eloquence,  100,  322 

Endurance,  301 

Enemies,  42,  87,   152,  238,  254,  299,  323, 

334 

See  Calumnies. 

England,  attitude  towards,  207,  241 
English  opinion,  302 
Epitaph,  138 
Erskine's  letter,  303 
Estates,  41,  135 
EVERETT,  EDWARD,  301 
Expression,  9,  12,  18,  285 
Eyes,  9,  12,  18,  51,  76,  123,  131,  149,  201, 
285,  301 

Family,  33,  48 

See  Domestic  qualities. 

Farewell  address  commented  on,  240,  248 

—  See  also  68,  100,  158,  165,  247,  335 
Father  of  his  country,  239,  272,  284,  295, 
342 

See  also  30,  42,  21 1 

Fersen,  Count  de,  214 

Fidelity.     See  Patriotism. 

First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the 


INDEX. 


347 


hearts  of  his  countrymen,  56,  71,  72, 

242,  280,  321 
First  of  the  rulers  of  mankind,  231 

See  Foremost;  Greatest. 

FONTANES,  Louis,  96 

Foreign  policy.     See  England;  France. 

Foremost  figure  in  all  merely  human  history, 

342 

Fox,  CHARLES  JAMES,  44,  46 
France,  orders  for  observances  on  death,  96, 

98,  281,  303 

relations  with,  44,  129,  180,  207,  230 

Franklin,  extract  from  letter  by,  304 

passage  from  will  of,  338 

Frederick  the  Great,  compliment  from,  24 

French  opinion,  303 

Friendship,  42,  50 

Funeral  orations  and  observances,  62,  73?  80, 

89,  96,  98,  102,  106,  no,  116 
See  Death. 

General,  appointment  as,  195,  285 

See  Military. 

General  officers  of  the  American  army,  opin 
ion  on,  28,  178 

Genet,  provocations  by,  44 

Genius,  306 

Gentleman  of  Maryland,  a,  1 3 

GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE,  277 

Gladstone,  quotation  from,  337 

Good  Sense,  97,  128,  144 

See  Common  Sense. 

GRAHAME,  JAMES,  195 

Greatest  man  of  any  age,  206 

Greatest  of  good  men,  and  best  of  great  men, 
302 

See  First. 


GREEN,  JOHN  RICHARD,  320 

Greene,  General,  extract  from  letter  by,  225 

Greive,  George,  28 

GRISWOLD,  RUFUS  W.,  250 

GUIZOT,  222 

Habits.  See  Hospitality;  Hunting;  Method 
ical  ;  Religion ;  Social ;  Table. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  213,  254,  340 

Hair,  9,  149,  285 

Head,  51,  285 

HEADLEY,  JOEL  T.,  258 

Height,  9,  51,  123,  149,  155,  186,  201,  214, 
285,  301 

Henry,  Patrick,  quotation  from  letter  by,  338 

See  also  265 

Hero,  Sage,  Patriot  of  America,  54 

Herzburg,  Count,  quotation  from  letter  by,  338 

HILDRKTH,  RICHARD,  268 

Ilillard,  George  S.,  228 

His  character  is  a  constellation  of  all  the 
greatest  qualities  that  dignify  or  adorn 
human  nature,  83 

His  fame  bounded  by  no  country,  will  be 
confined  to  no  age,  87 

His  fame  is  whiter  than  it  is  brilliant,  57 

Horsemanship,  169,  309,  311 

Hospital,  visit  to,  10 

Hospitality,  41,  47,  52,  174 

Houdon's  statue,  302,  332 

House  of  Representatives,  action  on  death,  54 

See  Congress. 

Hunting,  33 

Immortal  name  of  Washington,  210 
Indian  tradition  on  Washington  after  death, 
284 


348 


INDEX. 


Integrity,  282,  287,  325 

See  Patriotism.     .     . 

IRVING,  WASHINGTON,  296 
Notice  of,  277 

Jacobins,  45 

JAY,  JOHN,  162,  165 

JEFFERSON,  THOMAS,  168 

on  growth  of  Washington's  fame,  339 

See  also  312 

Jones,  John  Paul,  letter  by,  181 

Justice,  112,  1 68 

See  Patriotism.     .     . 

King,  Rufus,  extract  from  letter  by,  302 
KIRKLAND,  CAROLINE  M.,  272 
Knox,  General,  extracts  from  letters  to,  156, 
223 

La  Fayette,  Marquis  de,  211 

description   of    Washington    at    Mon- 

mouth,  309 
—  extract  from  letter  by,  340 

Washington's  love  of,  20,  42,  212 

Laboulaye,  Edouard,  304 

Language,  51 

Lansdowne  portrait,  302 

Lansdowne's  opinion  of  Washington,  302 

Laurens,  Henry,  extract  from  letter  to,  335 

LECKY,  WILLIAM  E.  H.,  322 

LEE,  HENRY,  62 

See  also  54,  280 

Lee,  Charles,  advice  taken  from,  229 

disparagement  by,  323 

LINN,  WILLIAM,  116 

Literary  ability  and  work,  100,  103,  124,  136, 
158,  165,  192, 235 


Literary  ability  and  work.     See  Correspon 
dence;   Farewell  address. 
LONDON  COURIER,  85 

Lossing's  "Mt.  Vernon,"  Extract  from,  138 
Lowell,  James  R.,  quotation  from,  342 
Lynch,  Thomas,  319 

MALLET  Du  PAN,  127 

MANDRILLON,  JOSEPH,  22 

Manners.     See  Deportment. 

MARBOIS,  FRANCOIS,  171 

MARSH,  EBENEZER  GRANT,  106 

MARSHALL,  JOHN,  54,  142,  332 

See  also  72,  280 

Meek  and  commanding,  217 

Methodical  habits  and  punctuality,  32,  77, 113 

McGuiRE,  EDWARD  C.,  198 

Military  qualifications  and  achievements,  II, 
15,  19,  23,  27,  36,  63,  80,  86, 107, 1 14, 
143,  168, 195,  224,  278,  283,  304,  314, 

323 

Mirabeau's  opinion,  47 
Model  for  imitation,  160,  282,  343 
Moderation,  24,  27,  30,  36,  51,  70,  75,  85, 

86,  146,  209,  241,  278,  283,  296,  300, 

312 

—  See  Patriotism ;  Self-control. 
Modesty,  18,  41,  74,  80,  147,  222,  265 
MONTHLY  MAGAZINE  (British  Register),  94 
Monument,  National,  at  Washington,  oration 

on  laying  corner-stone,  264 

,  oration  on  completion,  331 

Moral  and  physical  qualities,  harmony  of,  26 
Moral  superiority,  193,  255,  259,  282 
MORRIS,  GOUVERNEUR,  73 

quotation  from  letter  by,  338 

MORSE,  JEDEDIAH,  30,  76 


INDEX. 


349 


Mount  Vernon,  life  at,  32,  39 
Mount  Vernon  Fund,  308 
Mourning  observances,  280 

—  in  England,  281 

in  France,  98,  281 

See  Death;  Funeral. 

Moustier,  Count,  extract  from  letter  by,  333 

Napoleon's  orders  for  funeral  observances, 

98,  281,  303 
Nose,  9,  51,  131,  285 

Obituary  notices,  94,  99,  137 

See  Death. 

Of  all  great  men,  he  was  the  most  virtuous, 
and  the  most  fortunate,  227. 

Parallels,  comparisons  and  contrasts. 

—  with  Alfred  the  Great,  131 
with  Crcsar,  304 

with  Napoleon  I,  182,  260,  262,  305. 

—  Reference  is  also  made  in  this  connec 
tion  to  the  following  historical  char 
acters  : 

Aaron,  37 

Alexander  the  Great,  35,  260 

Aristides,  94,  120,  127,  133 

Cresar,  260,  270,  340 
See  also  above. 

Camillus,  13,  24,  94 

Cato,  1 20,  126,  275 

Charles  XII,  35 

Chatham  (Wm.  Hit,  Earl  of),  127 

Cimon,  118 

Cincinnatus,  39,  71,  120,  133,  275,  336 

Cromwell,  241,  260,  270,  283 

Cyrus,  1 1 8,  133 


Da\id,  116,  118 

Epaminondas,  91,  275 

Epictetus,  1 20 

Eugene,  Prince,  127,  314 

Fabius,  16,  24,  94,  118,  120,  144,  225, 
275.  277.  299,  305 

Frederick  the  Great,  127,  314,  340 

Germanicus,  42 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  13 

Hamilton,  255 

Hampden,  13 

Hannibal,  118,  120 

Hezekiah,  118 

Joshua,  118 

Josiah,  118 

Leonidas,  13,  90 

Marcellus,  120,  144,  277 

Marcus  Aurelius,  133 

Marlborough,  314 

Moses,  13,  118 

Napoleon  I,  248,  270,  272,  293 
See  also  above. 

Numa,  1 20 

Peter  the  Great,  16,  24 

Philopcemen,  118 

Phocion,  127 

Regulus,  1 20 

Russell,  13 

Saxe,  314 

Scipio,  1 1 8,  120,  275 

Severus,  120 

Socrates,  51,  120 

Sydney,  13 

Sylla,  241 

Timoleon,  94 
PARKER,  THE.ODORK,  282 
Patriotism  unparalleled,  as  evinced  by  many 


350 


INDEX. 


years  of  entire  devotion  to  his  country 
under  the  most  disheartening  condi 
tions,  crowned  by  the  most  wonderful 
success,  accomplished  without  any 
cause  for  self-reproach,  or  any  depart 
ure  from  the  strictest  code  of  integrity, 
justice  and  honor,  27,  35,  45,  48,  89, 
129,  159, 167,  170,  179,  194,  204,  258 
—  See  Moderation. 

Patronage,  52 

PAULDING,  JAMES  K.,  188 

Pay  for  services  declined,  20,  30,  36,  48,  179, 

331 

Peale,  Rembrandt,  219 
Pennsylvania's  offers  of  compensation,  31 
Personal  appearance,  9,  12,  15,  18,  23,  27, 

36,  41,  48,  50,  76,  123,  131,  142,  149, 

155,  169,  177,  186,  201,  285,  301,  309 
PHILLIPS,  CHARLES,  166 
Phrenological  estimate,  220 
Physical  and  moral  qualities,  harmony  of,  26 
Political  ability.     See  Statesmanship. 
Popular  admiration  and  veneration,  17,  22, 

25,  27,  30,  42,  80,  146,  211,  237,  251 

See  Veneration. 

Portraits,  18,  41,  138,  219,  302,  332 

See  Statues. 

Prescott  on  Bancroft,  290 

Providence,  welcome  at,  211 

Providential  adaptation,  216,  233,  261,  274, 

297,  299,  332 

See  Divinely  guided. 

Prudence,  75,  80,  85,  91,  136,  168 

See  Reserve. 

Punctuality.     See  Methodical  habits. 
Purest  figure  in  history,  337 


Quando  invenies  parem,  300 

RAMSAY,  DAVID,  155 

Randolph,  Edmund,  extract  from  letter  by, 

339.     See  also  329 
RAUMER,  VON,  245 

Read,  Jacob,  in  Committee  on  Address,  57 
Reed,  Joseph,  objected  to,  282 

confided  in,  294 

Religion,  12,  77,   114,   136,  152,   197,  203, 

236,  259,  287,  301 
Remuneration.     See  Pay. 
Reserve,  113,  123,  149,  286 
Resolutions  on  death,  56 

]    Reverence  inspired,  303 

:    See  Veneration. 

ROBIN,  CLAUDE  C.,  15 
!    Rochambeau,  General,  25,  180,  211,  215 
I    Ross,  James,  in  Committee  on  Address,  57 
;    Russell,  Lord  John,  note,  209 

Scotch  Traveller,  137 

SEGUR,  COUNT  DE,  177 

Self-control,  112,   146,   149,   196,  203,  207, 

237,  285,  305,  324,  334 

.See  Moderation;  Temper. 

Senate  address  of  condolence,  57 

See  Congress. 

Simplicity,  48,  82 
Slaveholding,  133,  151,  283 
Smallpox,  face  marked  with,  12 
SMITH,  SAMUEL  STANHOPE,  80 
SMUCKER,  SAMUEL  M.,  314 
SMYTH,  WILLIAM,  229 

Social  qualities,  49,  52,  150,  187,  201 
SPARKS,  JARED,  201 

See  also  232 


INDEX. 


SPRAGUE,  WILLIAM  B.,  247 

Statesmanship  and  political  ability,  23,  44, 

66,  145.  333 

See  Administration. 

Statues,  276,  302,  330,  332, 

Story,  Joseph,  on  Marshall's  Life  of  Wash 
ington,  148 

Stuart,  Gilbert,  remarks  on  features  by,  51 

portraits  by,  referred  to,  302,  332 

Sublime.  A  character  "  the  most  sublime  on 
historical  record,"  290 

A  character  "throughout  sublime,"  63 

SULLIVAN,  WILLIAM,  186 

Sword  carried  through  the  war  presented  to 
the  people,  218 

Symmetry  of  qualities,  188,  191,  245,  275 

See  Balance. 

Table  manners  and  habits,  20,  32,  48,  180, 

212 

TAPPAN,  DAVID,  102 
Temper,  18,  51,  73,  142 

See  Self-control. 

THACHER,  JAMES,  9 
THACKERAY,  WILLIAM  M.,  299 
The  AGE  of  Washington,  92,  119,  332 
The  Man  of  the  Age,  137 


Trenchard  and  Weston,  72 
True  American  (newspaper),  137 
TUCKER,  GEORGE,  280,  281 
TUCKERMAN,  HENRY  T.,  29! 

Unique,  341 

Unique  and  peerless  in  glory,  334 

UPHAM,  CHARLES  W.,  233 

Veneration  and  reverence  inspired,  47,  50, 
73,  113,  185.  186,  201,209,  2I°)  3°3> 
336 

See  Popular  admiration. 

Virginia,  enemies  in,  42 

tribute  to,  342 

Virginia's  offers  of  compensation,  31 

Voltaire  medal,  153 

WANSEY  HENRY,  47 

Ward,  J.  Q.  A.,  statue  by,  330 

Washington,  Mrs.,  48 

WATSON,  ELKANAH,  174 

WEBSTER,  DANIEL,  242 

WEEMS,  MASON  L.,  120 

WELD,  ISAAC,  50 

Wharton,  Charles  Henry,  D.D.  (note),  14 

WILLIAMS,  J.  M.,  123 

WINTHROP,  ROBERT  C.,  264,  331,  342 


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